Winged Love
by Tramie
Summary: Hitomi is 3 years old when her parents are killed. Two strangers from Gaea save her from the Zaibach soldiers and bring her with them back to their home on Gaea. Full summary inside.
1. Default Chapter

Summary: Hitomi is 3 years old when her parents are killed. Two strangers from Gaea save her from the Zaibach soldiers and bring her with them back to their home on Gaea. When Hitomi is 15, she falls in love with Caeli Knight, 

Allen Schezar. He also has feelings for her and asks her to come with him on a trip to Fanelia. There she meets Van and everything changes. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or anything to do with Escaflowne. 

Winged Love

A three year old Hitomi sat in bed as her mother read her a bedtime story. Several pages into the book, her father comes into the room and yelling for her mother to get Hitomi and leave. Several seconds later, the Zaibach soldiers broke down the front door and come running in. Hitomi stayed quiet as her mother found her a place to hide her. 

Just outside the Kanzaki household, two strangers appear, stepping out of a blue light. They run in the direction of the house and entering it. Hitomi's mother and father lay on the ground, dead. The two strangers were about to leave when they hear the sound of a child crying. They open the door to the closet in the hallway and found the young Hitomi. "I never knew the Kanzaki's had a child. We must take her with us. If we leave her they will kill her for sure. If we didn't know about her then they probably didn't either. She may still have a chance." A women with short brown hair and stunning blue eyes said. 

"Then take her and lets go. We don't have much time! Who knows if they will be coming back." A man with brown hair and brown eyes replied. Again the blue light appeared but this time surrounded the three, transporting them to Asturia. 

-12 Years Later- 

(Hitomi is now 15) 

"Millerna! Wait up!" Hitomi yelled as she run after her sister (yes, the people who saved Hitomi were Millerna's parents). 

"You're so slow, Hitomi! We will miss Allen if you don't hurry up." Millerna yelled back. Hitomi sprinted off in front of Millerna, sticking her tongue out at her. 

"I think it's you who should hurry up now." Hitomi called out as she ran off in the distance. Millerna sighed, _'That girl is too much.'_ Millerna began to run after her and laughed when she saw Hitomi panting for breath in front of Allen and his crew. "Good morning Allen! We came to see you off." Hitomi said, once she caught her breath. 

"Yes. We will miss you Allen." Millerna added. Allen smiled. "Maybe you do not have to say goodbye to me yet, princesses. I asked your father if you two could join me on my journey to Fanelia. Would you care to join us?" Both girls blush and nod yes. "Great!" 

Hitomi was sleeping on the Crusade with Millerna sitting at a desk beside her. Millerna listened as Hitomi mumble in her sleep, but one thing that left the girls lips shocked Millerna. "A war is coming...everything destroyed." She quickly shook Hitomi awake. 

"Hitomi! Hitomi wake up! What do you mean a war is coming?" Millerna knew that Hitomi could predict the future. She had been doing so since she was a child. 

"Huh? What do you mean?" Hitomi asks as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. 

"Never mind..." Hitomi looked at her sister curiously and before she can say anything, there was a knock at the door. "Enter." Millerna said and Allen opened the door. 

"We will be landing in a few minutes. The King of Fanelia will be waiting for us." Hitomi and Millerna nod and Allen left the room to let them get ready. 

-After they exit the Crusade- 

"I can't believe we are in Fanelia." Millerna said as she looked around. 

"Welcome to Fanelia." Van said as he stood before Allen. The Knight and all his crew bow down in front of the King. Millerna did the same. Hitomi just stared at him, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Millerna tugged at Hitomi's dress and she realizes she forgotten to bow, slowly bows down. 

"The twin princesses of Asturia have accompanied us on our journey. I was hoping that you may be able to give them a tour of the castle to keep them occupied." Millerna laughed and walked up towards the King. 

"My sister and I do not wish to bring you any inconvenience. We can manage just fine." The King smiled. 

"It isn't a problem. I'm sure that I will be able to give you a tour." Hitomi and Millerna were then shown to their rooms so that they could get ready for dinner. 

-At Dinner- 

Hitomi stared at Van during most of the meal, finding herself rather attracted to him. A small blush made its way to her cheeks at the thought. She slowly moved her gaze away from him and begun to stare at the paintings on the wall. "Your art in this castle is very exquisite. The painting right behind you is amazing." Hitomi said, looking at Van once again. 

"Yes, that painting is one of my favourites." Van replies with a seemingly sad look on his face. Allen, noticing how Hitomi had been staring at Van throughout the meal, asked if he could have a word with her outside. She politely excuses herself from the table and joined Allen out to the gardens. 

"What is it that you wish to speak to me about?" Hitomi asked as she took a seat on the bench. 

"I was wondering if you would like to come shopping with me tomorrow in the market place." He answered as he sat beside her. 

"Was that all? I wish I could, but I already agreed to have a tour around the castle." Allen looked away. 

"I see. I thought you came here to be with me though..." He mumbled. 

"I did come here to be with you, but I already accepted the King's offer. Maybe you could join us?" Allen took Hitomi's hand in his and smiled. 

"But I wanted to spend some time alone with you." Hitomi blushed, but began to think of her sister. 

"Allen, although I like you, you and Millerna have been dating for quite awhile. I do not wish to take away my sister's boyfriend." Allen sighed. 

"Hitomi, it's you I want, not your sister." Hitomi stood up suddenly, pulling her hand out from Allen's. 

"How can you say such things? My sister loves you! I thought you loved her too. Maybe at times I wish I could be the one you loved, but I never wanted my sister to go through any pain. You liking me can only hurt her!" Hitomi ran off into the castle. 

"You will be mine..." Allen whispered as he made his way back to his room. 

AN: Okay, first chapter done! How you like it? What's good? What's bad? What ideas do you have for future chapters? Please review and tell me what you think. 


	2. A Knight's Persistence

AN: Hello everyone! Here's the new chappie. Just to refresh your memory, here's the last bit of chapter one: 

... Hitomi, it's you I want, not your sister." Hitomi stands up suddenly, pulling her hand out of Allen's. "How can you say such things? My sister loves you! I thought you loved her too. Maybe at times I wish I could be the one you loved, but I never want my sister to go through pain. You liking me can only hurt her!" Hitomi runs off into the castle. "You will be mine..." Allen whispers as he makes his way to his room... 

P.S. I changed my username to Tramie. ^_^ 

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, I'm just a big fan... 

Now, on with the story! 

A Knight's Persistence

Allen watched as Hitomi, Millerna and Van ran inside to get out of the rain. The king, Van Fanel, had finished giving the princesses a tour of the castle half an hour ago and wanted to show them the town. Allen was glad it started to rain. This would give him a chance to get closer to Hitomi. He watched as Millerna left the group first, most likely to go to her room to change. He then grew angry as he saw Van talking to Hitomi. It seemed they were enjoying each others company, and Allen would not allow that. He quickly walked up to the two and interrupted their conversation. "Good afternoon, King. Good afternoon, Princess." He said with a slight bow. "Hello Allen. How was your day?" The king asked as Hitomi looked in another direction. Hitomi could only half hear the conversation between the two men as she stared at the paintings on the wall. "...I just needed to speak to Lady Hitomi about something. I hope you don't find if she comes with me for awhile." Hitomi turns her head in the direction of Allen. Van takes his time before he tells Allen that it would be fine. He really enjoyed spending time with Hitomi and didn't want end their wonderful day together, but he also did not want to seem rude. Hitomi went with Allen reluctantly. 

-Out in the Garden- 

"Hitomi, I can't stop thinking about you. I'm in love with you, and I want to be with you." Hitomi looks at Allen with sad eyes. "Maybe three months ago I could have said the same, but that was before you started dating Millerna. I can't love someone that my sister loves." Allen sighs and puts a hand on Hitomi's cheek. "Why can't you just admit your feelings?" Allen stares deeply into Hitomi's eyes. "I...I just can't!" She whispers. Allen's face slowly moves closer towards Hitomi's. "I wish you could." He whispers back, as he leans in for a kiss. Hitomi can't help but enjoy the kiss. They break apart slowly and just stare at each other. "I'm sorry for the way I acted, but you are dating my sister. I can't hide my feelings for you any longer. I love you Allen." (ick, hitomi loves allen? not for long! ^_^) 

-Next Day- 

Hitomi walks around the castle with Merle, Van's adopted sister. The two became friends as soon as they started talking. Hitomi trusted the little cat girl, probably even more than she trusted her own sister. Even though they just met, they had a special bond. "So you can see the future?" Merle asked. "Well, sort of. I have these visions of what might happen." Hitomi answers. "That's so cool! What do you see for my future?" Merle then steps infront of Hitomi, making her stop walking. Hitomi pauses in thought. "Hmmm...I see you in a town that's being rebuilt. It seems that you'll be travelling to different areas." Merle laughs. "I don't think that's right. I always stay in Fanelia." Hitomi smiles at her cheeful friend and watches as she dashes off in the distance to meet her brother. 

-Later on that Day- 

"Hitomi, is that you?" Allen asks as he steps walks down the stairs. Hitomi had been walking around aimlessly for hours and lost track of time. "It's almost dinner time, would you like me to escort you to the Dining Room?" Hitomi giggled at Allen and took his hand. "I would love for you to." The two made their way to the Dining Room. Merle watched them from a corner. '_Allen is no good for Hitomi. She deserves so much better._' Merle thinks to herself, then also makes her way to the Dining Room. 

Ending there. I have to start the next chapter for my other fanfic. Hopefully you liked this chapter. Please review! 

Thankies: 

the original esca chick: thanks for my first review! (well, for this story...) Sorry if the story seems rushed, that's just the way I write. -_-! 

Mini-MoonStar: hehe...I enjoy ending chapters in cliffhangers... 


	3. Hitomi's Confusion

AN: Hello everyone! New chappie, yay! Here's a bit of the last chapter to refresh your memory: 

"Hitomi, is that you?" Allen asks as he steps walks down the stairs. Hitomi had been walking around aimlessly for hours and lost track of time. "It's almost dinner time, would you like me to escort you to the Dining Room?" Hitomi giggled at Allen and took his hand. "I would love for you to." The two made their way to the Dining Room. Merle watched them from a corner. '_Allen is no good for Hitomi. She deserves so much better._' Merle thinks to herself, then also makes her way to the Dining Room. 

Disclaimer: I no own Escaflowne, you can even ask my lawyers that! Wait...I have no lawyers...-_- 

Hitomi's Confusion

Millerna and Allen sit in the castle garden. Hitomi watches them from behind a tree. _Allen told me he would break-up_ _with Millerna today. I just hope Millerna will be okay. _She listens to Allen try to break-up with her, but then Millerna stops him. "I know we haven't been too close lately, with me being engaged to Dryden, but I promise I will talk to my father about that. I know you still care about me." Unknown to Hitomi, Van walks up behind her. Hitomi struggles to hear what Allen and Millerna are saying, as does Van. The next thing Allen says shocks her. 

"I'm so sorry Millerna. I still love you. Maybe you are engaged, but that doesn't mean we can't still have a relationship." A small smile can be seen on Millerna's face. They both move closer and kiss. Hitomi's eyes begin to fill with tears. Van, knowing about Allen's love for both sisters and about how he had been secretly dating Hitomi over the past week, rushes to Hitomi's side to comfort her. 

"Lady Hitomi, shall I escort you to your room. It's getting late, and you need your rest." Hitomi turns around to face him. 

"I don't feel much like sleeping right now." Van takes her hand and pulls her into a hug. 

"It will be all right." He then walks by Hitomi. "Follow me. I want to show you something." Hitomi, curious, follows him. After several minutes of walking they reach a small fountain. "I come here to think. When ever something bad happens to me, I find that this place brings me peace." Hitomi sits on the fountain ledge and sighs. 

"This place is very peaceful. Thank you for showing it to me." Van nods and sits beside her. 

"Someone as lovely as you should not have to deal with men who only wish to toy with your affections." Hitomi smiles slightly. 

"I'm glad you think I am lovely, but you are wrong about Allen. He loves me. He just has to find a way to let go of Millerna without hurting her." (Oh sure, Allen loves Hitomi so much! Not!) Van stands up. 

"I see. Well, I must be going now. Are you going to stay here?" Hitomi nods and Van walks back to the castle. 

-Next Day- 

"You mean Allen kissed her? What a playboy!" Merle screams angrily. Hitomi had just told her about what happened last night. 

"He's not a playboy! He's just...oh, I don't know! I'm so confused!" Hitomi sighed and then walked to the door. "Let's go find your brother now." 

"Okay. I wonder what he wants to talk to you about." Merle says as she follows Hitomi through many rooms. Hitomi nods and then turns to a door on her left. There are feathers and leaves carved into the wooden doors. "That's funny. I don't remember ever seeing this room." Merle says curiously. Hitomi opens the door and steps inside, Merle right behind her. Van is standing infront of a statue. Hitomi's pendant begins to glow a light pink. Van turns around and sees Merle and Hitomi. He walks towards them when he noticed the pendant glowing. As soon as he reaches them, the glowing stops. 

"Well that was weird." Hitomi says, holding her pendant in her hand. "Van, who is that statue of?" Hitomi asks as she walks infront of it. Merle and Van stand behind her. 

"That's...my mother." Van answers. Hitomi looks at him for a second then turns back to the statue. 

"She's beautiful." Hitomi whispers. "She reminds me of mom..." _Reminds me of mom? Mom didn't look anything like that. _Hitomi thinks to herself. Meanwhile, Merle and Van think the same thing. _Wait! My mother..._

*Flashback* 

"Come on, you can do it! I know you can fly!" Hitomi's mother says as she watches a three year old Hitomi stand on top of a tree. Hitomi spreads her wings and jumps. "That's it, see, it wasn't too hard." Hitomi giggles as she lands on the soft grass. "Do you remember the rules, Hitomi?" 

"Don't show your wings to anyone, unless you need to." Hitomi says cheerfully. Her mother nods and faces her father. (both parents' faces can't be seen) 

*End Flashback* 

*Flashback* 

"Hitomi, stay in here and don't make any noise! The bad people ae here and we don't want them to get you." Hitomi stares into her mother's green eyes. She carries Hitomi to the kitchen. Hitomi holds onto her mothers brown hair. 

"Mommy, don't leave me." Tears form in her mother's eyes. 

"I'm sorry baby." She hides her in a cabinet and goes to her husband. Hitomi holds her knees close to her body and cries silently. Her parents screams fill her ears. 

*Flash* 

(Hitomi's mother's dead body is shown laying on the floor.) 

*Flash* 

*Hitomi's father's dead body is shown laying on the floor, his hand held out to his wife.) 

*End Flashback* 

Hitomi is shivering in fear. "They're dead." She falls to the ground crying. 

That's the end of that chapter. Don't think the Allen/Hitomi thing is going to end yet. They'll still be together for awhile. Van and Hitomi will be getting closer in the next few chapters, though. I promise this will be a VxH fic. You just have to be patient... Please review! ^_^ 

Thankies: 

Fallen Dragon - yay, I updated! lol 

Mini-MoonStar - Allen bashing will come, in time. 

Night of the Raven - Merle is planning something, but you won't find out her plan for awhile. 

DragonSight - Yes, Hitomi will only be Allen's for alittle while longer. 

Asia-chan - I saw that mistake...I don't understand how I got that number...Well, when its late at night, I guess my mind doesn't work to well. But I always write my stories late at night...oh well. I fixed it though. Thanks for pointing that out. 

CTRNikkiM - It took me awhile to decide to put Hitomi and Millerna as sisters. I was going to make Hitomi a peasant, but thought it would be interesting if she were related to Millerna. And about the Allen kissing Hitomi thing...It was needed. But you have to remember that this is a V/H fanfic, so Allen and Hitomi will not end up together. I don't like Allen, I would never put him with Hitomi. *takes out scissors* Now, if only I could find him and chop off his hair! ^_^ 


	4. Allen's Proposal

AN: Hello! A new chapter, finally...For those who are confused, Van's mother reminds Hitomi of her mother because she is Draconian. She is not related to Van. Well here's a bit of the last chapter to refresh your memory: 

*Flash* 

(Hitomi's mother's dead body is shown laying on the floor.) 

*Flash* 

(Hitomi's father's dead body is shown laying on the floor, his hand held out to his wife.) 

*End Flashback* 

Hitomi is shivering in fear. "They're dead." She falls to the ground crying. 

Disclaimer: I do not own escaflowne. If I did, there would be no point in writing this story. 

Allen's Proposal

"Who is dead?" Van asks, as he rushes to Hitomi's side, attempting to comfort her. 

"My parents. They killed them." Tears rushed down the shivering girls face. Van pulled her into a hug and began rubbing her back. 

"I'm not sure what you are talking about. Your parents are fine." Van looked into Hitomi's green eyes and saw the fear they held. _She looks so beautiful right now. Wait, what am I thinking! She loves Allen. That no good playboy! People like him don't deserve to live. I can't believe I ever looked up to him._ (Van showing some hatred now...lol) Hitomi looked into Van's eyes and calmed down somewhat. 

"My parents...they aren't who you think they are..." 

"Hitomi! I've been looking everywhere for you." Allen interrupted. He made his way across the room and stood beside Hitomi. "I was hoping you would like to accompany me to the market." Hitomi then remembered why she was here in the first place. 

"Actually, the King asked to speak to me. Alone. I will meet with you after." Merle smiled at how Hitomi stressed the word 'alone'. She then began to push Allen out of the room. Allen tried to say something, but Merle just kept pulling him until he was out of the room. She then smacked him on the head and turned to walk away. 

"You leave those two alone, or I'll make sure you don't bother anyone ever again." Allen didn't know how to respond to what Merle had just said, but decided that it would be better to just leave them alone for now. He didn't exactly like the thought of his woman being in a room alone with another man though. (Possessive, isn't he?) 

-Back to Van and Hitomi- 

"You wished to speak to me?" Hitomi said, wondering what he wanted. She stared at the statue as Van tried to remember what he wanted to say. "She was beautiful." Hitomi whispered, interrupting Van's thoughts. 

"Yes, she was." He looked up at the statue sadly. He missed his mother dearly. It didn't help that he had any other family left. He only trusted Merle, yet he trusted Hitomi as well. "What happened before. You said something about your parents not being who they are thought to be." 

"When I saw this statue, some memories of my childhood came back. I've never been able to remember my life from before the age of 3, which is normal. Yet, I felt that it was important for me to know my past. I can tell the future, as many know, but I can't see the past. I've heard talk about how people didn't know the King and Queen had another child. The King and Queen of Asturia said I was being hidden because I was sick and they were afraid I would not make it. Now I know it was all a lie. I wasn't born on Gaea, but instead the Mystic Moon. My parents told me they were...well, I'm not sure I should tell you this. Can I trust you?" Hitomi looked at Van intently. He was still trying to process all the information she just gave him. 

"Of course." He needed to know what she was about to say. He could tell that it could change everything between them, but he had to know. Hitomi took a deep breath. 

"I'm Draconian. My parents told me they were Draconian and so was I. They taught me how to fly when I was young, telling me not to show my wings until it was time. When I was three, some people from Gaea came and killed them. They didn't know about me, so I was spared. The King and Queen of Asturia took me with them to Gaea. They wanted to save my parents, but came too late." Hitomi was surprised she knew all this. She felt like leaving this place. She wanted to be alone, but being with Van made her feel safe. She waited patiently for his reaction. 

"What?" Van was shocked. "You're joking, right?" Hitomi explained that she wasn't joking and began to have doubts that her telling Van was the right thing to do. "I can't believe it. I thought I was the only one...Hitomi, I'm Draconian too." Now it was Hitomi's turn to be shocked. The two spent the next hour talking about their past and about their hopes for the future. 

-Just outside the room Van and Hitomi are in- 

Allen was becoming impatient. How long had they been in there anyway? He made up his mind and stepped back into the room. "Hitomi? I just wanted to tell you that we will be leaving in two days. Would you like to start packing now?" Hitomi looked away from Van to stare at Allen. 

"Two days? I thought you said we were staying for a week? Never mind...I guess I should begin to pack. I hope to see you later King Van." Hitomi angrily walked with Allen to her room. He interrupted a very interesting conversation. 

-In Hitomi's room- 

Allen closed the last of Hitomi's bags that she had packed so far and sat on the edge of the bed. "Hitomi, I was hoping that when we got back to Asturia, we could spend some more time together." He kissed Hitomi on the lips and then stared into her eyes. 

"Maybe we can, if you would break up with Millerna already and stop kissing her." Allen smacked himself mentally for being caught. 

"I'm sorry Princess, but I was afraid of hurting her." Hitomi sighed. She still loved Allen, at least she thought she still loved Allen. "Hitomi, I promise you we will be together. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Speaking of which..." Allen got down on one knee in front of Hitomi. "Hitomi Aston, will you marry me?" Hitomi at first was thrilled at the idea of marrying the man she loved since she was young, but then thought about Van. 

"I...don't know. I have to think about it." Allen nodded and kissed her cheek before leaving the room. Hitomi sighed and laid back on her bed. _What's going on? The man I love asks me to marry him and all I can think about is Van._

-Next Day- 

Hitomi told Merle all about her vision after seeing the statue and now they both are in Hitomi's room talking about all sorts of things. "I can't believe Van actually told you about him being Draconian as well. He hasn't told many people. Actually, he's only told me." Hitomi laughs as Merle gets up from the bed. "I'm hungry. I'll get some food for the both of us. Be back in a second." Merle walks out of the room and down the hall. _I can tell that Van and Hitomi like each other, but Allen is in the way! He's no good for Hitomi. I can't believe he even proposed to her. Now, if only I could find a way to get Hitomi to get rid of him for good._ Just then, Merle hears some strange noises coming from Millerna's bedroom. She slowly opens the door a little and peeks in. There she see Millerna and Allen kissing. She hears Millerna saying something about how happy she is that her and Allen are getting married. Merle grinned evilly and ran back to Hitomi's room. 

Hitomi is looking through her bags as Merle comes into her room shouting her name. "Hitomi! There's something you need to see! Follow me." Hitomi, curious, follows the pink fur ball down the hall. They stop in front of Millerna's room. 

"Why did we stop here?" Hitomi asks Merle just tells her to be quiet and slowly opens the door. 

"You had to know." She whispers as Hitomi looks in. She is shocked at what she sees. 

"Allen, how could you?" She screams and runs out the door, Merle right behind her. Once again, tears fill Hitomi's eyes. She goes to the only person she feels safe with, Van. _I've done my part, now fate can do the rest._ Merle says to herself as she watches Hitomi run towards the room with the statue of Van's mother. 

Hitomi opens the door slowly and is happy when she sees Van sitting on the floor. "Hello King Van." Hitomi says as she reaches him. 

"Hitomi! What brings you here? Oh, and please just call me Van." Hitomi nods and sits beside him. 

"He...was kissing her. He just asked me to marry him and then he kisses her! I'm sure I saw and engagement ring on her finger that looks exactly like the one he was about to give me." Van hugs Hitomi, bringing her closer to him. 

"Hitomi, you don't deserve this. You deserve someone who will treat you with respect. You have to stop going back to Allen, or he will just keep hurting you." Hitomi's tears soaked Van's shirt. She was afraid, afraid of letting go of Allen. She couldn't see herself with any other man, except Van, but she wasn't sure how he felt. 

"I'm afraid." Hitomi whispered. Van held onto her tighter. Footsteps could be heard outside the door. Then the door swung open revealing a panting Allen, a confused Millerna and a very happy Merle. 

"Hitomi! Why are you hugging another man? I thought you loved me!" Allen screamed as he pulled Hitomi away from Van. "Don't you dare touch Hitomi ever again!" He spits in Van's face. Van is about to yell back, but Millerna stops him. 

"What does Hitomi hugging Van have to do with you? I love you, not Hitomi!" Millerna says, still very confused. 

"Allen asked Hitomi to marry him too. He said he loved her and would break up with you." Merle stated. Millerna became angry at that. 

"You did what? My poor sister! She must have been a mess, seeing you kissing me! How could you ask me to marry you after asking Hitomi to? What were you planning on doing, marrying us both?" Millerna screamed, glaring at Allen. 

"Well...you see..." Allen began. _That stupid cat! She was ruining everything!_ Millerna and Hitomi were now apologizing to each other as Allen tried to think of something. Van finally realized he could say something now, so he did. 

"Allen, I would appreciate it if you would leave Fanelia in the morning. The Princesses can stay for as long as they wish and then my men will escort them back to Asturia. You are no longer welcome in this castle." Merle was jumping for joy at those words. Millerna then walked over to Van. 

"King Van, could I be sent back tomorrow morning as well, I wish to see my fiancé Dryden. Just please don't make me go back with him." She said, pointing back at Allen. 

"As you wish. I will make arrangements after dinner." Millerna nods her head. She goes over to Hitomi and says she needs to finish packing, then leaves the room. Hitomi walks over to Allen. 

*smack* 

"I can' believe you. Millerna told me to give you this back." She throws the engagement ring at him. Allen catches it, then puts his hand to his face. Van laughed at how Hitomi treated Allen. He was glad he would finally get to be alone with Hitomi. No more Allen getting in the way. 

That's it for now! I think thats the most I've ever written...I couldn't stand Hitomi and Allen being together any longer, so that's why they are now officially broken up. It may still take awhile for Van to tell Hitomi his feelings...or Hitomi to tell Van her feelings. I'll tell you some of what will happen in the next chapter. An attack on Fanalia, Merle *trying* to get Van and Hitomi to kiss and maybe Allen somehow coming back? I don't know yet. I might change my mind, so if these things don't appear in the next chapter, I'm sorry...Don't forget to review! 

Thankies: 

Mini-MoonStar- I updated, yay! Now you don't have to be so hyper. -_-! 

renee- I'm glad you think the story is good. 

CTRNikkiM- Van and Hitomi should be getting together soon...I like the idea of the statue of Van's mother as well. It helps me bring Van and Hitomi closer. ^_^ 

Cyber1- I'll try my best to keep up the good work. lol 

Crystal Night- I know, my writing skills suck...I'm trying though. ^_^ 

mori- yes, Hitomi Draconian too. lol. And I agree with the stupid Allen thing. 

Avelyn Lauren- I don't think Allen and Hitomi are a good couple either, and Van and Hitomi aren't brother and sister. I could never do that. 


	5. The Beginning of War

AN: Hello again! I got a review from 'nit pickz' (by the way, thanks nit pickz for the review!) and it was about how I said Van's mother is Draconian, so she reminds Hitomi of her mother. So I thought it would be better for me to explain now, than at the end of the chapter, what I meant by that. Hitomi had only met two Draconian's in her past, her parents. The fact that she lived around normal humans for most of her life, makes her used to their aura or whatever you wish to call it. The statue of Van's mother is familiar because it has an aura that is similar to the ones from her past. It's not that Van's mother looks like Hitomi's mother, her aura is familiar. Do you understand what I mean? I hope that cleared everything up. ^_^ 

P.S. I need an editor. I don't like editing my own stories...If you're interested, please e-mail me at miss_c22@hotmail.com and put the subject as 'Winged Love-Editor', or submit a review telling me that you want to be my editor. I'll need your name, (you don't have to give me your real name, just some name that I can use to give you credit) your e-mail and that's about it, I think... 

Refresher: 

"Allen, I would appreciate it if you would leave Fanelia in the morning. The Princesses can stay for as long as they wish and then my men will escort them back to Asturia. You are no longer welcome in this castle." Merle was jumping for joy at those words. Millerna then walked over to Van. 

"King Van, could I be sent back tomorrow morning as well, I wish to see my fiancé Dryden. Just please don't make me go back with him." She said, pointing back at Allen. 

"As you wish. I will make arrangements after dinner." Millerna nods her head. She goes over to Hitomi and says she needs to finish packing, then leaves the room. Hitomi walks over to Allen. 

*smack* 

"I can't believe you. Millerna told me to give you this back." She throws the engagement ring at him. Allen catches it, then puts his hand to his face. Van laughed at how Hitomi treated Allen. He was glad he would finally get to be alone with Hitomi. No more Allen getting in the way. 

Disclaimer: *looks up at star in sky* _I wish I owned Escaflowne... _*star starts moving* ...... You mean it was a plane? Shoot...-_-! 

The Beginning of War

Goose bumps begin to appear on my arms, as I stand on the balcony of my guest room thinking. _How could Allen do this to me? I thought he loved me. Maybe I should go back to Asturia to talk to him...No, that wouldn't be a good idea. _I look up at the sky and smile when I see the Mystic Moon. It seems so peaceful. Then all I see is black. It's a vision. 

Fire surrounds the capital of Fanelia. Woman and children are seen running for their lives, as men battle against invisible enemies. A large white guymelef comes into view, a large cape floating in the wind behind it. Screams can be heard from almost every direction. A sword comes closer and closer to the white guymelef and then I see Van's face. Van was in that melef, but he was facing the other way and couldn't see the other melef coming towards him. Then all that could be seen was blood. 

I scream. The scream is carried all over the castle. I fall to my knees and cry. Van would die, and so would many other people. I had to save them, but how? Van comes rushing into my room and runs to my side. "Hitomi! What happened? Are you all right?" Merle then appears by his side. 

"I...I had a vision. Something terrible is going to happen." Van stares at me confusion. I try to explain, but find it too hard. I only manage to mumble out a short explanation. "A war is coming." 

-Two days later- 

"Good morning King Van. You wished to see me?" We were in a garden behind the castle. Van was sitting on a rock, staring at a small pond that was in front of him. He stares at me and motions me over to him. I sit down beside him and wait. 

"Just wanted to see how you were doing." An cute smile makes it's way to his lips. I blush at the distance between us. 

"I'm just fine. How about you?" Van was about to answer when I was pushed into him. I blush even more now that we're touching. Van puts his arms around me and laughs. 

"What just happened?" I sit up, not really wanting to leave the warm embrace, and stare blankly at my hands. 

"I don't know." A rustle can be heard in the bushes. I see someone running off. That someone had pink hair. _Merle? What's she up to?_ I sigh and stand up. "If you don't mind, I will be going to my room now. I'm not feeling to well." 

"I'll walk you back." We walk side-by-side to the entrance of the castle. Then a loud rumble could be heard. I turn around and see the faint outline of the invisible guymelefs from my vision. 

"They're here! Van, the invisible guymelefs are here!" Fear is evident in my voice and Van rushes me inside the castle. He immediately calls men to get ready for battle. Women and children run towards the high cliffs that surround Fanelia. Van rushes off to the garden we just left. I decide to follow him. I would not let my vision come true! I won't let him die! 

"It's time." I hear him say as he reaches a temple. The walls of the temple are an off-white colour. Vines grow up each panel on the walls and the tiles on the floor have a few pink flowers growing out of the cracks. The ceiling has writing on it, but I can't manage to read it. Van raises his hand up to the ceiling, a red energist in his hand. 

"Awaken Escaflowne, you are needed." The energist glows, as does the writing on the ceiling. A faint pink glow is seen coming from inside my shirt. I pull out my pendant. _Why is this glowing? What a strange pendant..._

The ceiling walls part to reveal the white guymelef from my vision. It slowly floats to the ground. Once it touches the tiled surface, Van places the energist into the melef. My pendant stops glowing as Van jumps into Escaflowne. 

"Hitomi, stay here. I don't want anything to happen to you. If the enemy somehow finds you, run to the cliffs. Understand?" I nod my head, but run in front of Escaflowne to stop Van from leaving. 

"You mustn't go, Your Majesty! It's too dangerous." Van laughs slightly, a pained look on his face. I stare at him with sad eyes. 

"I wish that there was no need for me to go, but it is my duty to protect my country, and protect my country I shall." He leaves to go help the rest of his men, leaving me alone in the strange temple. 

-On the battle field- 

My men are losing. We can't see the enemies, and there is no way for us to sense there attack. Hitomi's vision came true. These invisible enemies are destroying everything. I probably won't survive this battle. My country will most likely die as well. 

I move Escaflowne around the battle field, unable to do much. How can I fight when I can't see? I stare up at the cliffs. I can see Merle among the people. At least she will be all right. I'm suddenly afraid. I stop Escaflowne and stare at my surroundings. So this is how it's going to end... 

-Back at temple- 

I see Van's dead body laying in front of me. The vision playing over and over in my head. I have to save him. I rip off the bottom of my dress and run. My pendant swings to the left in my mind, and I run to the left. There isn't much time, I need to run faster. I pick up more speed and soon see Escaflowne. The invisible guymelef is behind him, just like in the vision. I see the sword coming closer towards Escaflowne and panic. 

"Van, behind you!" He turns quickly and his sword rips through the melef. It drops to the ground, making a loud 'thud'. The other invisible melefs turn towards the fallen one. I can see the faces off the operators. Each set of eyes filled with fear. I catch one of their thoughts..._How did he know? How did he see? _The guymelefs quickly retreat, leaving a burned down Fanelia behind. 

Van jumps out of Escaflowne and stares at me. "How did you know?" He asks, obviously surprised that I had been able to see the melef when no one else could. I was about to answer when he began to speak again. "You're hurt!" I stare at my arm and see a large gash. _A part of the destroyed guymelef must have been thrown my way..._ My concentration was moved from my arm to Van. He rips off a piece of his shirt and gently wraps it around my arm. 

"I think it would be best if we went to the medical tents, Princess Hitomi. You should get the arm checked." I nod my head in agreement and follow him to the newly set up medical tent. 

"I would enjoy it if you would simply call me Hitomi from now on. I am not a Princess, although most still think I am." Van laughs and I just wait patiently for his reply. 

"I will call you Hitomi if you call me Van." I smile and hold my hand out. 

"Deal." He shakes my hand and we both laugh. I turn around to see Merle coming towards us. I wave at her and she runs to us. 

"Hitomi! Van! You're all right." Tears form in the cat girls eyes. Van hugged her and told her everything would be all right. I stood up and walked out of the tent. Van followed and stood beside me. 

"I can't believe this happened..." I whisper. Van puts an arm around my shoulder and sighs. We stare into each others eyes and smile. Merle goes up behind us and pushes us together. Our lips meet and our eyes grow wide. We quickly pull apart, a blush visible on both our faces. Merle's laughing face can be seen between us. I was about to hit her on the head, but Van got to her first. 

"Ow! What did you do that for?" Van mumbled something that sounded like, 'I'll tell you later.' I look over the destroyed country. _What a day..._

That's it for now. Tired...So how was it? Hopefully not too bad. I won't be able to update as often as I usually do, because school is starting school and I have to work. T_T Well, please read and review! 

Thankies: 

SabineballZ- I'm glad Hitomi and Allen aren't together anymore too! Yay! And you were right, there was an attack on Fanelia. 

Niffer- I know my writing skills are bad. I try so hard...It's okay, once school starts and english class starts,I should do better. Hopefully... 

Cyber1- I'm glad it was a good chap. 

DragonSight- Allen won't come back yet. He will be back and so there will be more Allen bashing moments, but he won't come for awhile. 

Avelyn Lauren- That's exactly why it's going to take awhile. They just met, so they're not about to throw themselves at eachother, lol. ^_^ 

Asia-chan- The number thing was funny to me as well. I can be very stupid at times...I'm glad you think my story is different! I think... 

Aya_chan- It is a nice change to have Merle trying to get Hitomi and Van together, isn't it? 

nit pickz- I kind of cleared up the whole statue familiarity confusion at the top. Hope it made sense to you. Oh, and I'm glad you love my story! 

Mini-MoonStar- You're always hyper? That's always good. ^_^ 


	6. What's With Merle?

AN: Hello again! Sorry it took so long to update...I had to update my other fic. Anyways, on with the story! 

P.S. I now have an editor! Yay! Thank-you Avelyn Lauren for editing this chapter. 

Winged Love 

Chapter 6 

Refreshment: 

"Hitomi! Van! You're alright." Tears form in the cat girls eyes. Van hugged her and told her everything would be all right. I stood up and walked out of the tent. Van followed and stood beside me. 

"I can't believe this happened." I whisper. Van puts his arm around my shoulder my shoulder and sighs. Merle goes behind us and pushes us together. Our lips meet and our eyes grow wide. We quickly pull apart, a blush visible on our faces. Merle's laughing can be seen between us. I was about to hit her on the head, but Van got to her first. 

"Ow! What did you do that for?" Van mumbled something that sounded like, "I'll tell you later." 

**Disclaimer: *Running in the streets.* I own Escaflowne. Woo hoo! * Person comes up behind me and pinches my arm.* Huh? Why'd you do that? Wait it didn't hurt. Nooooo! Don't tell me* Wakes up* Noooo!**

What's with Merle?

I stare at the construction being done on Fanelia. I wrote to Millerna last week to tell her what happened. She wrote back demanding that I came home to Asturia. I had explained that I felt it wasn't my home anymore and that I felt the need to help the people of Fanelia. (Millerna knows about Hitomi's past now, but still considers Hitomi as a sister) I carry a basket of food outside to where Merle is waiting for me. 

"We need to bring this food to the children over there." Merle points to a crowd of children standing by a torn down building. I nod my head and walk towards the place I was instructed to go to. One by one, the children came up to me with their outstretched hands. There isn't a lot of food, so each gets a small piece of bread. The children seemed satisfied and didn't complain. They understood that there wasn't enough food for everyone to have a large feast. It pains me to have to look into their terrified eyes and not be able to comfort them. After all the bread has been given out, I turn to go back to the castle. 

I hadn't slept well since the attack. I keep having nightmares. I didn't want to leave the others alone, but I had to get some rest. I walked up to my room and laid carefully on the small bed. As soon as I closed my eyes I fell asleep. 

-Outside- 

I look at the frightened faces of the people that I'm supposed to protect. The attack came so suddenly and I hadn't been prepared. All the houses had been destroyed and we had only begun reconstructing the city. I walked into the castle, which was the first thing to be rebuilt, and sit at a desk in the library. The rooms were almost completely empty and it bothered me. I don't want to admit it, but I'm afraid. 

As I sat quietly thinking, Merle slowly crept into the room. "Lord Van. You've been avoiding me." I looked up at her, a slight blush reaching my cheeks. 

"Now why would I be doing that? I've been busy that's all." I lied, hoping she would believe me. She sat down beside me and looked at me silently for awhile before speaking again. 

"You've been avoiding me because you don't want me to find out. That's the reason, right. Well I know your secret so stop avoiding me!" I stare at Merle in confusion. _My secret? Did she really know aboutno. There is no way that she could know about that. I won't believe it! _I thought. _There was no way she could know about me enjoying that kiss me and Hitomi shared. Well, sort of enjoyed. I mean, I didn't enjoy it. It's justI don't like her. I mean, I just met her! She's different from all of the other women. That's what I loveI mean LIKE about her. I don't LOVE anybody._

As I was having my little inside battle, Merle coughed slightly to get my attention. "How did you know?" Was all I could say. Merle looked slightly annoyed. 

"I'm your sister, of course I know! It's obvious that you've been ignoring me because you think that what happened is your fault and you're guilty. You're not ready to face anyone." Merle smiled on the inside, fully aware that he didn't want her to know about Hitomi. She knew her brother and he may be feeling guilty, but that wasn't the main reason he had been so out of it lately. 

"Oh, ya. That's it! I feel _guilty_. I should have known you would find out" I laugh nervously, hoping that Merle won't notice my uneasiness. She looks at me with sad eyes and then hugs me. 

"It's not your fault. It will be okay. Oh, Hitomi told me to tell you to go see her. She's in her room. I think that she's not feeling well." I nod my head and leave the room, with my vision directed to the floor as an attempt to hide my blush stained cheeks from Merle. 

-Hitomi's room- 

I awoke after about an hour of sleep and decide I'd better get changed. I go to the bathroom to wash my face and then I return to my room. I pick out a gown to wear and slowly undress. I then hear my door creak as it opens. Suddenly, I'm face to face with Van. I'm in pure shock and gaze at him for a second before grabbing my gown and holding it in front of me. Van shakes his head quickly and exits the room. 

"I'm so sorry! I should have knocked. Sorry. Sorry." He leaves and closes the door behind him. My face is red with embarrassment, but I soon get over it. It could have happened to anyone. For some reason I knew that had something to do with Merle, though. She had been acting strange lately. She was up to something. But I had no time to think now. I quickly got dressed and left my room to see Van waiting. 

"Merle told me you wish to speak with me. I hadn't expected to well.... I'm sorry." I just smiled. 

"It's alright. I should lock the door more often." I stood and stared into Van's eyes and sighed. "You have beautiful eyes, you know that?" _Wait did I just sat what I think I said? What's wrong with you Hitomi? You can't be falling for Van. You just met him! _Van blushed at my remark and then smiled. 

"As do you." It was my turn to blush now. _Maybe he likes me! Wait, why would I care? It's not like I like him, do I? No! I don't, I like Allen. But he cheated on me"_

"Hitomi? Hitomi?" I come back to reality and see Van waving his hand in front of my face. He laughs then stares at me closely. "You wanted to speak to me?" I stare at him confused. 

"Huh? No I didn't. Well, I don't mean I don't wish to speak to you, but I never asked to speak to you." Van laughs, while I make sure what I said makes sense. 

"Merle must have made that up then. Something strange is going on with that girl, and I intend to find out." I laugh after seeing Van's serious face. 

"I'll help you." 

Yay! Another chapter done. What do you think of this chappie? It's not too interesting, I know. The next chapter will be better (I hope). ^_^ Please review! 

Thanks: 

SabineballZ- The battle was quick. It was supposed to be quick...And Merle's going to be pushing those two together a lot in this story. 

Cherry Dragon- I updated as soon as I could! 

Sakura-Angel-04- It's great? Thank-you! lol. Did you really think I'd let Hitomi marry Allen? No way! 

Avelyn Lauren- Sorry for taking long to update...I have too much stuff to do! And thanks so much for editing this story for me! Well, the story from this chapter onwards. ^_^ 

DragonSight- Dilandau won't come yet. I have some important stuff planned for him, but I may change my mind after. He should come around in about 2-3 chapters. Maybe more, maybe less. I'm still thinking of where to add him in. 

Aya_chan- It makes me so happy to know that people love my stories! Allen will be coming back though...I don't want to bring him back, but he's an important part of my 'plan'. -_-! 


	7. Hitomi Gone?

AN: Hey! I'm back with another chappie. I'm going to try and write a new chapter each week, but it's going to be hard! I'll try my best. 

Thanks to Avelyn Lauren (my editor). You're the greatest! 

Winged Love Chapter 7 

Refresher: 

"Hitomi? Hitomi?" I came back to reality and see Van waving his hand in front of my face. He laughs and then stares at me closely. "You wanted to speak to me?" I stare at him confused. 

"Huh? No, I didn't. Well I don't mean that I don't wish to speak to you, but I never asked to speak to you." Van laughs while I make sure that what I said makes since. 

"Merle must have made that up then. Something strange is going in with her and I intend to find out." I laugh after seeing Van's serious face. 

"I'll help you." 

**Disclaimer: If I owned Escaflowne, why would I be writing this?**

Hitomi Gone?

"..alright, so you'll follow Merle during the day and I'll follow her at night." I said to Van as I sipped my tea. 

"Right, then hopefully we'll find out what's going on." I nod my head in agreement. Merle had been acting strange all month and we had to find out why. Because it was almost dark, I decided I would go find Merle to start our_ quest_ to find out what Merle's up to. I say goodnight to Van and leave the dining room. 

I reach Merle's door and knock a few times. Merle quickly opens the door with a smile plastered on her face. "Hitomi, I was just about to come and find you." I smile slightly as she pushes me into her room. "Make yourself comfortable." I take a seat on the bed and stare at Merle as she rushes about her room. 

"I've heard that you decided to stay in Fanelia." I look up confused. 

"Yes, that was my plan. How did you find out?" Merle let out a small giggle and sits beside me. 

"Van told me. You know, he talks about you a lot. He really enjoys your company and is glad that you like Fanelia so much that you're willing to stay." I blush and look at my hands. 

"Did he really say all that?" Merle nods and I blush even more. _Is it possible that he likes me? No he can't. Why do I care anyways? _I became so confused that I decided it would be better just to leave Merle alone for today and retire to my bedchamber. I say a quick goodnight and go. Merle watches me walk out the door. _What is she up to?_ I think as I walk down the hallway. 

Once I'm in my room and dressed for bed, my thoughts go to feelings for Van. _I'm falling for him, aren't I? Why is this happening? I can't think this way, I can't lose his friendship. It's too important to me now _I sigh and get into my silk covers, stare at the ceiling. _Maybe Merle knows that I like Van and that's why she's acting weird. No, that can't be right_

-Van- 

I stand on the balcony and look at the two moons in the sky. _So she is from the Mystic Moon and is Draconian as well_I sigh and turn around to face the picture hanging on the wall. _I love Hitomi, I finally know that, but I don't want to lose her friendship. What should I do? _My thoughts are interrupted by Merle running into the room screaming. 

-Hitomi- 

I keep tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. I hear a sound from the window. I get up to see who's there but see no one. I turn around to go back to bed, when I notice a man standing in the shadows. "What do you want?" I asked backing away. 

"You." Is all he said as he grabbed me and covered my mouth. He places a note on my bed and pulls me out the window. I try to struggle and break free but his grip is too strong. His long, blond hair brushes against my face. My eyes widen when I finally recognize the voice. _Allen._

-Van- 

"Lord Van, its Hitomi. She. She's gone! She was kidnapped and the person left a note." Merle handed me a folded piece of paper. I opened it slowly and read each sentence carefully. 

King Van Slanzar de Fanel of Fanelia, 

I Allen Crusade Schezar, Knight Caeli of Austuria, have taken Princess Hitomi Aston back to her homeland. I have asked the King and Queen for her hand in marriage and they accepted my offer. Hitomi and I will be wed tomorrow. If you wish, you may come to the ceremony. 

Allen C. Schezar 

I stand there with my mouth open in shock. _How could he have come without my men seeing him? He isn't even allowed in my country!_ Merle looked at me with tears in her eyes. 

"Go get her brother." It was evident that she knew. _How could she have known? _ I finally understood why she had been acting so strange lately. That didn't matter now. I did exactly what she told me to do. I went to get her; it would take too long to travel by carriage. I had to fly. I arched my back and sprouted my wings. 

"Good luck." I gave Merle a quick hug and flew off into the distance. _I have to tell Hitomi how I feel about her, before it becomes too late._

-Hitomi- 

I lay on my bed in my room. It had been so long since I had been home. My eyes were all red from crying. My parents had just told me that I was to marry Allen. Millerna tried to talk them out of agreeing but my parents believed that we would be happy together. The wedding's tomorrow and all I can think about is leaving Austuria to go back to Van. I could easily fly to Fanelia. _"You must show your wings only when needed."_ My mother's voice rang in the back of my head. _When is the right time? How will I know? _I had so many questions but no one to answer them. 

*Knock knock* 

I open the door to see one of my servants standing there. "Lady Hitomi, you are to see that seamstress for the fitting of your gown." I sigh slightly and follow the young girl to the seamstress. When we arrive, a lovely blue fabric is laid across the room. The seamstress immediately begins her work. After hours of being pinched by pins and standing very still, the dress is complete. It had long sleeves with silver fabric along the top of the gown. The veil drags behind me as I turn to face the mirror. _I wish Van was here_

-Van- 

I speed up once I see Austruia up ahead. I land just outside the country, so no one sees my wings. I walk into the castle and look around. I soon get lost but then I see someone walk by. Deciding that I'd better get some directions, I walk up to the person. 

-Hitomi- 

"Hit.Hitomi!" Van shouts. I turn around to face him and my face brightens up. 

"Van!" I hug him tightly and begin to cry. "He brought me here to marry him but" he rubs my back, calming me down somewhat. 

"It's okay. You don't have to go through with this." I pull away from his embrace to look him in the eye. 

"Yes I do. The King and Queen are forcing me to. If I don't go through with this, there's no telling what they might do. It's already been arranged. I have to marry him." Tears make their way to Van's eyes as well. 

"I" he stumbles on the words. "Hitomi, I love you." 

Yay! I finally finished this chappie. Hehe, the next chapter might not turn out how you think it will...^_^ (although I don't know how you think it will turn out) I want to know what you think is going to happen next. So tell me in a review! 

Thank You!: 

spirit element- I'll try to add Dilandau in the next chapter. Oki? 

Avelyn Lauren- So sorry for taking long again! Just have too much to do...Like I said at the top, though, I'm going to try and write one chapter a week. 

Xelena- Yes, it's an AU kinda thing... 

SabineballZ- Hopefully this chapter is more interesting? -_-! 


	8. New Plans

AN: I'm back with another chapter! I'm so sorry I took so long. I'm just really busy...I've just finished reading Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix(sp?). That book was great! Anyone else who loved it and would like to talk to me about it (I like hearing people's opinions on things...), e-mail me at: miss_c22@hotmail.com with the subject as 'Harry Potter'. Anyways, this chapter may disappoint some of you. You'll see why. -_-! 

Thanks Avelyn Lauren for all your help. 

Winged Love Chapter 8 

Refresh your mind: 

"Hit Hitomi?" Van shouts. I turn around to face him and my face brightens up. 

"Van!" I hug him tightly and begin to cry. "He brought me here to marry him but. but." He rubs my back calming me down somewhat. 

"It's okay. You don't have to go though with this." 

"Yes I do. The King and Queen are forcing me to. It's already been arranged. I have to marry him." 

"I. I." he stumbles on the words. "Hitomi, I love you." 

**Disclaimer: If I had any money, I'd buy Escaflowne. Unfortunately I don't.**

New Plans

Van's words echoed in my mind. I stare blankly ahead and then suddenly a searing pain forms in my head. I squint my eyes shut and when I open them I am no longer standing in front of Van. Instead I am sitting on my bed. It was a dream. 

Today is my wedding day and he isn't here. A tear falls down my cheek staining my night gown. I'm afraid of marrying Allen. I want to see Van. I close my eyes slowly and then hear a knock at the door. I know it's time for me to get ready. I decide I'm going to run away. I can't love Allen, not after what he did. I get into a simple dress and pack some things that I'm going to need. I quietly walk into the hall hoping that no one would see me. I sigh when I finally arrive outside the castle. Then I remember one last important detail. Where will I go? 

-Van- 

I reach the castle and see the crowds of people waiting for the ceremony to begin. I was about to fly towards the area in which everyone was gathered, but felt Hitomi's presence on the opposite side of the castle. I followed her aura to see her sitting underneath a tree in the garden. She's crying. It takes all of my strength to keep me from running up to her and hugging her. 

A low rumble is heard as the ground shakes. I turn around looking for the source. Even though I see no one around, I know that Hitomi is in danger. I know that I need to get Hitomi someplace safe. 

"Hitomi!" I shout out hoping to get her attention. She moves from her spot under the tree. She stands there and looks around. A guymelef suddenly comes into view and I see it lunge for Hitomi. "NO!" I scream as I fly towards her and carry her off to safety. 

"Van? What's going on?" Pure fear is seen in her eyes. I want to comfort her, but there's no time. We had to leave. I pick her up and fly away from the guymelef. Something was really wrong. Why was the guymelef still following us? 

-Hitomi- 

I try to protest as Van flies me to who knows where but he resists. I feel safe in his arms and slowly calm down. I fall asleep holding his arms tightly. 

Later I wake up to the sound of a fire crackling. I look up to see a topless Van with his wings spread out. I stare in awe at the beautiful white feathers and then he catches my eyes. 

"You're awake." He smiles slightly and he moves closer to me. A slight blush reaches my cheek._ Why am I feeling this way? I know I love him but._ My uncertainty makes me shiver. "Are you all right? Are you cold?" I stare into Van's eyes and slowly shake my head. 

"No it's nothing. It's just..I'm thinking." I finally say. I slide closer to the fire. I look up at Van and blush again. "Your wings are beautiful." _Why did you say that? Why can't you keep your mouth shut? _My face is completely red with embarrassment. 

"Th. Thanks." He stutters. I laugh and slowly he joins in. Once the laughter dies down, he pulls his wings back and sits next to me. (I mean his wings are no longer visible.) "You okay? Did you want me to take you back to Allen?" His smile fades at the mention of Allen's name. 

_Is he jealous? No. he couldn't be but._

"Actually I don't want to go back. I was planning on running away." I stated matter-of-factly. Van looked at me surprised. "I'm not in love with him anymore. At least I don't think that I am." Van nodded in understanding. 

"Where do you want to go?" I stare at him with uncertainty. _I want to go back to Fanelia, but what if he doesn't want me there? _I shake my head to clear my thoughts. 

"I. I was thinking that maybe I could. If you didn't mind. Come back with you to Fanelia? I really miss Merle and can't wait to see her again." I answer slowly. He nods and stands up. 

"Then Fanelia it is." He smiles down at me. Suddenly I remember the guymelef. 

"Van, who was that person? Why was he after us?" I ask somewhat afraid of the answer. 

"I'm not sure to tell you the truth." He sighs and helps me up. "The guymelef was definitely from Zaibach, but why would they be after us? We have an alliance with them." He trails off and looks at his feet. "Well they could be the same people that attacked Fanelia before but that does not matter now. Let's just leave, shall we?" I nod my head with a smile on my lips. He sprouts his wings and puts his arms around me. I blush a deep shade of red and hold on tightly as we fly towards Fanelia. 

-Allen- 

I wait for the arrival of _my _Hitomi. Van hasn't shown up yet, which is clearly a good sign. I hope that Dilandau stopped him from entering the castle. I just hope that no one else saw him. It's a good thing that his guymelef is invisible. I look over at Millerna and smile. She looks at me with pure hate. I laugh slightly as I turn to see one of my men run towards me. 

"What is it Gaddess?" I ask only half interested. "This is my wedding day; I cannot be bothered with trivial things. Only speak if it is important." Gaddess stares at me with the same look that Millerna just gave me. _Reminder for later. Make sure that none of my crew speaks to the princess. She will only turn them against me._

"Yes _commander_." Gaddess says with a smirk on his face. He holds his hand to my ear and whispers into it. "It seems that Dilandau." 

"That's _Lord_ Dilandau to you." I whispered back. 

"It seems that _Lord_ Dilandau has chased not only King Van out of Austuria, but Princess Hitomi as well." He laughs at this and walks away. I become furious and leave the chapel to find Dilandau. I chance a look at Princess Millerna and see her trying to control her laughter. Gaddess must have told her his plan. _He'll pay._

I'm stopping there! I'm soooo sorry it took me forever to write this (and it's not even that long!). I've just been really busy and I had a little trouble trying to think of stuff for this chapter. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter and please review! 

Thanks: 

Avelyn Lauren - Hehe, I like your ideas! The note will come back to haunt Allen, I assure you. Don't you like my little twist at the beginning? ^_^ 

Sakura-Angel-04 - I'm glad you like it! And I did take long to update, I'm soooo sorry! I hate school... 

Aya_chan - He said it, but he didn't...how interesting, no? 

spirit element - I added Dilandau's name this chapter, next chapter he is actually introduced, in a sense... 

some one - It's so true, Allen is a jerk! I've never liked him...-_-! 

SabineballZ - lol, cry me a river. I like that song...somewhat...Anyways, it wasn't that great of an ending now that you've read this chapter, was it? And King Aston will be doing some 'chasing' in the next chapter. Imagine King Aston running, lol. Well, I gave a bit too much away there, didn't I? ^_~ 

Star Mage1 - They've gone away with eachother. See, your wish came true! 


	9. Dilandau's Indentity

AN: A new chapter! I took awhile to write this because lately I have been really busy. I also wanted to update my other fanfic, so now that that's done, I did this. Enjoy! 

Thanks Avelyn Lauren for editing this fic! 

**Winged Love**

**By: Tramie**

**Chapter 9**

Refresher: 

"What is it Gaddess?" I ask only half interested. "This is my wedding day. I cannot be bothered with trivial things. Only speak if it is important." 

"Yes, _commander,_" Gaddess says with a smirk on his face. He holds his hand to my ear and whispers into it. It seems that _Dilandu.."_

"That's Lord Dilandau to you." I whispered back. 

"It seems that_ Lord_ Dilandau has chased not only King Van out of Asturia but Princess Hitomi as well." He laughs at this and walks away. I became furious and leave the chapel to find Dilandau. I chance a look at Princess Millerna and see her trying to control her laughter. Gaddess must have told her his plan. _He'll pay_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne**

Dilandau's Identity

"You didn't have to fly me all the way here. I could have flown myself." I remind Van as we finally arrive at the Fanelian castle. 

"I didn't want to risk having someone see you. The last thing I want is for people to start calling you a demon." Van responded as his wings returned to their hidden place on his back. 

_He cares about me. He wants to protect me. But he only thinks of me as a friend. _I blush slightly at my thoughts. Since when did I care about him thinking of me as a friend or not. I follow him to what will be my room and when we reach it I give him a hug and say goodnight. I notice a small flush on his cheeks as he walks away. _Is he getting a cold?_

-Allen- 

"You chased my soon-to-be bride out of the country?! If she's not under my control that means that I cannot have her!" I sit on a rather large wooden stool and think about Hitomi. How I long to touch her, to simply smell her hair, to own her and her power. The thought of her lips on mine is enough to make me shiver. 

"Forgive me knight but I'm the one calling the shots here. I told you before. I don't take orders from others. The girl was fun to scare. What can I say? There are ways to get her back under your control. If you want I can go and retrieve her but it will cost you." Dilandau smiled evilly and sat on a stool to my left. 

-Merle- 

_What's taking him so long? I thought he would be back by now!_ I hear my door open and quietly move to hide. 

"Don't worry Merle. It's just me." A man's voice says as he walks into the room and sits in a chair beside my bed. 

"Oh it's you Dilandau. I was wondering where you were!" I quickly move beside him. "So what happened with Allen? Did you carry out my plan? Also did you have time to go to Zaibach?" He gives me a lopsided grin. 

"Your plan has been carried out. Hitomi is already in her guest room in the castle. I did manage to sneak off to Zaibach for a few hours and find out that thousands of their guymelefs have been stolen. That would explain the attack on Fanelia. All those guymelefs and no energists." I stare at him in disbelief. 

"So they want our energists. But who could want the guymelefs anyway? You don't think that Allen took them do you?" Dilandau's face becomes serious at that question. 

"He may have had something to do with it but I don't think that those guymelefs left Zaibach." I look at him confused but urge him to continue. "You see, many of my relatives say that a man by the name of Dornkirk has been forming a group that will change destiny. I heard a story in my youth of this group killing two Draconians who managed to escape to the Mystic Moon. Many believed this group destroyed Atlantis and they did so to get the powers of the Draconians. All of this has no evidence. Of course, I cannot prove anything." I nod my head and then get up to walk towards the window. 

"And what did Allen ask of you? Did he want you to return Hitomi?" I ask as I watch as rain begins to fall from the grey clouds outside. 

"No. He wanted me to kill Van." I close my eyes and place my head on the glass. The cold sending shivers down my body. I swish my tail back and forth and listen to the rain hitting the window. 

"Dilandau, I thank you for your services." He walks up behind me and brushes my hair with his fingers. I can feel his warm breath on the side if my neck. 

"I've missed you Merle." 

-Van- 

I walk toward my bedroom but halfway there I decide that I should go see Merle. She would want to know what's going on. I had spent most of an hour sitting outside Hitomi's door. How I wish I could tell her how I feel. I'm too afraid of her reaction. Will she runaway? Will she ignore me? I'm not sure. I reach Merle's bedroom and knock lightly. I hear some movement inside and Merle opens the door slightly. 

"Brother! You're back!" She walks out of the room and closes the door behind her. Then she gives me a big hug. "Did you bring Hitomi back?" She breaks her hug and stands almost protectively against her door. 

"Yes. She is in the guest room at the moment." Merle then nods and then says something about being extremely tired entering her room. I stare confusedly at the door. I decide to leave to get some sleep myself. 

-Allen- 

I walk around in the castle halls for hours. _Hitomi. I will have you just wait! _I hear a small cough from near the stairs and turn to find Millerna standing there. She looked as if she was about to laugh at any second. I turned away from her and walked outside. She followed me. 

"What is it that you want, Princess?" She smiles and turns to pick a flower. 

_"_People know." That was all she said before walking back up to the castle. _What does she mean by people know?_

-Hitomi- 

I cry myself to sleep, worrying about Allen. Would he come looking for me? I hope not. I doze off slowly and I begin having dreams, or were they visions? 

_"Dilandau, if you don't start working you're going to work to get whipped!" A young boy sticks his tongue to the older lady who was speaking to him. A large rather chubby man walks up behind him._

_"Stupid boy, you should listen to your mother." _ _A large whip with sharp glass stuck in it, strikes the boy in his back. He cries out in agony and falls to the ground. His mother rushes to his side and holds him in her lap. "That will teach him." The man walks off and leaves the crying mother with her son._

_-Scene changes-_

_"The Draconians are dead. The girl has no where to go. We have to take her in." King Aston says as he stares at the young Hitomi in his arms. "The poor thing. Damn those Zaibach fools!"_

_-Scene changes-_

_"Van it's finally over. Zaibach has finally become a free country. Those power crazy men are gone. If only Mom, Dad and Folken could see Gaia now." Van held Merle tightly against him._

_"They see it alright, don't worry about it." She smiles up at him and looks at the black field that now makes up Zaibach._

_"I know that there must be one person alive in this slave area. Most ran but a lot of them didn't make it that far." A tear slipped down Van's cheek._

_"I don't think anyone could survive this." He stopped after hearing a child's cry. They ran towards the sound and found a boy lying on the dirt. Merle sat him up and began wrapping his wounds in a cloth. Tears were streaming down his face and he looks absolutely terrified._

_"Mommy she left me and Daddy too. They all ranaway but left me here!"_

I wake up with a headache. I had been getting a lot of headaches lately. What had those dreams meant? I remember the war from the past. It's not something that one forgets. All the slaves and the murders. It had lasted almost ten years; of course most of that war was before my time. Who was Dilandau? How come Merle and Van never mentioned him? I get out of bed and decide to find Van. My questions needed answers. 

-King Aston- 

I ran around the castle frantically trying to find where Hitomi might be. _Someone may have kidnapped her, or even worse murdered her. _I stopped, almost running into Millerna. "Millerna! Oh my, we must find your sister!" I turned to walk around her when she stopped me. 

"There is something that I must explain to you." 

I'm finished! Yay! This chapter took forever to write. Anyways, hope you like it. Bet you're wondering what's going on between Merle and Dilandau? ^_^ Well, read and review! 

Thankies: 

SabineballZ- King Aston only ran a little bit. -_- But, let's start the race between him and your German teacher! On your marks...get set...GO! lol 

Wink57CS- Yup! Gaddess is a good guy. And Hitomi has already found out she loves Van, but isn't really sure about her feelings. Because of what happened with Allen, she is confused and doesn't know if she should trust her emotions. 

dark faerie2- I'm glad you liked the chapter! 

Avelyn Lauren- The letter will come soon, just waiting for the right moment. Millerna will bother him until...well, can't tell you too much ^_^ 

Xelena- Thanks for all three of your reviews! 

Moonlit Evanescence- Dilandau will have some major parts in this and Folken I'm not sure about yet. I'm still trying to figure out a way to fit him in the story. 

DragonSight- I loved your review! I especially loved the part where you cut of Allen's hair ^_~ 


	10. Hitomi's Promise

AN: Here's the next chapter! Sorry I can't make quick updates, just too much homework! 

Thanks so much Avelyn Lauren, for editing this fic! 

What happened last time: 

I wake up with a splitting headache. I had been getting a lot of headaches lately. What had those dreams meant? I remember the war from the past. It's not something that one forgets. All the slaves and the murders. It had lasted for ten years; of course most of that war was before my time. Who was Dilandau? Why had Merle and Van never mentioned him? I get out of bed to find Van. My questions needed answers. 

-King Aston- 

I ran around the castle frantically trying to find where Hitomi might be. _Someone may have kidnapped her or even worse murdered her. _I stopped almost running into Millerna. "Millerna! Oh my we must find your sister!" I turned to walk around her when she stopped me. 

"There is something I must explain to you." 

**Disclaimer: I watch Escaflowne; write about it; talk about it but I do not own it.**

**Winged Love**

**By: Tramie**

**Chapter 10**

**Hitomi's Promise**

"A message from King Aston, your Majesty." A knight says as he hands me an envelope. 

"Thank you. You may return to your duties." The knight walks off. I walk over to Hitomi before opening the letter. I read it out loud so that she can hear. 

_Dear King Slanzer de Fanel,_

_My daughter informed me of the situation with Allen. I know that Hitomi is with you in Fanelia. Millerna arranged for a friend of yours to make sure she was. I am hoping to get back at Allen but I will need your help. Would you happen to have that note he left the night that he took Hitomi back to Asturia? That would work well when trying to get back at him. I need to prepare a search party for Hitomi now; it would seem strange if I did not. We do not want Allen suspicious._

_I hope to speak to you soon._

_King Aston of Asturia_

I watch as Hitomi stares blankly at her hands. She couldn't still love him, could she? I look on with worry until a smile begins to creep on her face. 

"You do have the letter, don't you? Can you imagine what would happen if people were to find out what Allen did?" She laughs and immediately turns to face Merle, who is standing beside her. "I'll finally get back at him!" Merle smiles at Hitomi. 

"Allen will finally get what he deserves." Merle said. Suddenly her stomach began to grumble. I laughed at her as she turns pink in the face. "Let's go get something to eat." She said to Hitomi and Hitomi nodded. 

"Let's go!" Merle runs off ahead of her, but before Hitomi follows her, she turns back to face me. "Thanks for everything, Van." She kisses my cheek and disappears in the direction that Merle was probably waiting for her. I place my hand over my cheek and keep it there. 

_What was that?_

-Hitomi- 

Strange things have been happening lately. Merle's been acting all giddy. Van looks like he can't stop daydreaming and there is still the question of which friend of Van's helped me to get here? Whatever the reason or answer for these things I didn't care much. I had just begun to realize my feelings for a certain king. He was so mysterious and yet. 

"Hitomi! Quit daydreaming! I swear you're becoming more and more like Van everyday." I laugh quietly at Merle, until we reach her room. "Now I can finally tell you my secret. But remember don't tell Van! It's a surprise." I smile at Merle and wait patiently for her to open the door. 

"Merle is that you?" A manly voice called from somewhere inside the room. 

"Yes. Yes. I brought my friend Hitomi." The man walked into view and bowed before us. 

"Lady Hitomi, I believe that we've already met." He stands up again and comes up beside Merle. 

"Hitomi this is Dilandau. He is the one that chased you out of Asturia. He's been spying on Allen for me." I let out a small laugh and turn to Dilandau. 

"I am grateful for your help." He smiled at me and took my hand in his. 

"Such a lovely lady. You are a seer, are you not?" 

I answered slowly. "If you mean to ask can I see into the future and the past. Yes I can." He nodded and placed a small kiss on my hand. 

"I am also a seer of sorts and you two will make a fine couple." Merle laughs loudly at this. "And I believe you already know my story, so there is no need to tell you about it." I stare blankly at both of them, thoroughly confused. 

"You will understand in due time." Merle answered my unasked question. 

-Van- 

_It's just as Dilandau predicted. What I thought to be a childish game turned out to become something real. The prophecy that he spoke of. Could it possibly be about me and Hitomi? I must hear it again. I need to fully understand it. Where is Dilandau when you need him?_

"My Lord, Lady Hitomi is here to see you." I snap out of my daze and signal for the guard to show her in. 

"Hey." 

"Hey." No words were uttered. It seemed appropriate at the time, but the silence was not to last. 

"Van I've been thinking. About, you know, Draconians. We are supposed to be the last ones, are we not? I mean." I placed my finger over her lips and she stopped talking. 

"We are the last Draconians. That is true. The destruction of our people was caused by Zaibach. Zaibach soldiers are the ones that killed your parents." I stopped to let out a sigh. "That's what you want to know right?" Hitomi nodded and sat down next to me. 

"I also wanted to know. Maybe, seeing as I haven't in so long. Could you help me to learn to fly again?" I smile and agree. 

Stopping there! Okay, I know it's short and I took really long to finish, but I tried! At least I finished before Christmas! Well, I've been busy with my birthday and stuff lately, so haven't had much computer time. So this is what I could come up with. It's my Christmas present to all my wonderful fans. I will hopefully get a longer chapter finished before January... Let's say before January 10th. if I don't finish it before then, I will write an extra long chapter. That sound good? I hope you guys don't hate me! Please review!!! 

Thanks to: 

Avelyn Lauren - Dilandau is a good guy, just want to let you know that for certain! As to what's going on with him and Merle... well, I believe that information should be kept between just you and me, lol. Allen will be getting in lots of trouble during the next few chapters, and Gaddess and Millerna won't be the only ones he'll need to watch out for. The Queen of Asturia may just make an appearance in this fic. I've taken your advice and added the learning to fly bit into my plans for the next few chapters. Thank you for your many complements and encouraging words! You truly make this story better. ^_^ 

SabineballZ - Your German teacher was lucky this time, but next time... lol. I am not yet ready to tell my readers what is going on between Dilandau and Merle. You will find out soon. And as for Allen bashing, that will go on throughout the story. 

spirit element - No comment on the Dilandau - Merle subject, but I'm glad you liked the chapter. 

supergirl6 - Glad you love my story, and so sorry for the long update. 

lfk214 - It's my story, and I say Dilly is good! But as for the killing Allen thing... sounds like a good idea. ^_~ 


	11. A Prophecy

AN: Chapter 11 is finally here! School starting again, so updates won't come at a fast pace. Hope you enjoy this chapter! 

Thanks Avelyn Lauren, not only for being my editor, but for your positive remarks as well. 

Last Chapter Refresher: 

"My Lord, Lady Hitomi is here to see you." I snap out of my daze and signal for the guard to show her in. 

"Hey." 

"Hey." No words were uttered. It seemed appropriate at the time, but the silence was not to last. 

"Van I've been thinking. About, you know, Draconians. We are supposed to be the last ones, are we not? I mean." I placed my finger over her lips and she stopped talking. 

"We are the last Draconians. That is true. The destruction of our people was caused by Zaibach. Zaibach soldiers are the ones that killed your parents." I stopped to let out a sigh. "That's what you want to know right?" Hitomi nodded and sat down next to me. 

"I also wanted to know. Maybe, seeing as I haven't in so long. Could you help me to learn to fly again?" I smile and agree. 

**Disclaimer: Escaflowne belongs to it's owners. If you don't believe me, ask them!**

**Winged Love**

**By: Tramie**

**Chapter 11**

**A Prophecy**

_Atlantis has long since been forgotten, but two of its children shall live on forever. A girl with a power not even she knows she has and a boy with powers he knows can change everything. A love that sees no boundaries will be found between the two, thus opening the door to Escaflowne. A war will break out in an attempt to destroy the pendant and to capture Escaflowne. A glow from the pendant shall appear when it is time for the lovers to make the most ultimate of sacrifices. If the two shall lose their love for each other forever, we are doomed. If their sacrifice is rejected, we shall prosper. When wings are revealed in an area surrounded by death and corruption, the war will end._

Yes, that was the prophecy that Dilandau had spoken of so many times during our childhood. I had no clue what it meant but I knew it had to do with me. Was it possible it had to do with Hitomi as well? Maybe. Is she the girl that was spoken of in the prophecy? Not likely. Love must be found between the two and I don't believe Hitomi feels for me that way. It could be that I'm not the boy after all. The prophecy doesn't speak of the boy truly loving someone else. I know in my heart I will never love another. Never. 

-Hitomi- 

I watch from afar as Van stares up into the sky. I could hear him mumbling, though I only caught a few of the words he spoke. I definitely heard the word 'Atlantis'. I know that's where Draconians were originated but did not know why he would speak of them. I walk closer towards him and lightly place a hand on his shoulder. 

"Nice present from Merle, huh?" I asked. Van slowly moved to look at me. 

"Yes. It was great getting to see Dilandau again. I needed to speak with him anyways." I sit down beside him and wait for him to continue, but he does not. 

"I heard you mumbling before. Something about 'Atlantis'?" Van stares at me shocked but quickly turns away. 

"It was nothing, just thinking over something Dilandau had told me." I nod my head, not wanting to press the subject further. 

"I..." We both say at the same time. 

"You first." I tell Van and he blushes slightly. 

"Hitomi, I've been thinking a lot about you lately and..." A blush rises to my cheeks but I don't get to hear the rest of what Van was going to say because Merle and Dilandau are heard yelling. Once Merle sees us; she smacks Dilandau across the head and walks over. 

"Sorry about interrupting you two but Dilandau and I were just arguing about some old prophecy. He just won't listen to a single thing I say! Anyways, I just wanted to apologize. Continue." Merle stared at us; expecting us to say something. 

"Merle, I believe they wanted to be alone." Dilandau said, grabbing Merle's hand. 

"Oh, no. It's alright, really. We'll just continue this conversation another time. Bye Hitomi!" Van said quickly running off. Merle and Dilandau couldn't help but laugh at this. I just stood there confused. 

-Two Days Later- 

-Van- 

"Since you haven't been flying for a long time it's not safe for you to fly alone!" I said worried. 

"Just around the garden, I'm not going to go far!" Hitomi promised. 

"But this is only your first flying lesson." I continued to protest. 

"I know, but I think I'm doing pretty well." She countered enjoying this. 

"Hitomi, just please come down!" I was begging. 

"After I fly around for a bit." Hitomi flies further from me and zigzags through the air across the garden. Suddenly one of her wings drops, and she begins to fall. 

"Hitomi!" I yell as I fly to catch her. I land softly on the ground, Hitomi still in my arms. I stare into her green eyes and get lost in them. 

"Van, could you maybe put me down? I can still walk you know." I quickly let go, embarrassed, and then watch her walk over to a fountain. 

"I think I've had enough flying for today. Who knew it would be so hard to relearn something?" She laughs slightly before taking a drink. I watch her as she plays with the water and then notice she is staring at me. 

"Van, about the other day. When you said you'd been thinking a lot about me lately? What else were you going to say?" Hitomi wondered out loud. 

_Uh oh, she remembered that? Now I have to... Should have thought about this more._ I thought to myself before I spoke again. "Well, I was going to say... _I think I'm in love with you_." I whispered the last part, too afraid to say it loudly. 

"What was that? I couldn't hear you?" 

_Darn, have to say it again..._

"I... I..." Why is it harder the second time? Shouldn't it be easier? 

"You what?" Hitomi asked curiously. She had that confused look on her face. She looks so cute like that. Does she realize that she's making this harder for me by looking at me like that? 

"I... I love you! There, I said it." A large blush reaches my cheeks and I can't stand to sit anymore. I get up and so does Hitomi. She stares blankly at me, obviously surprised. "I should go now." I try to walk away, but Hitomi grabs my arm. 

"Don't go yet. I... I love you too." She looks down at her feet as I quickly turn to stare at her. A faint trace of a blush can be seen on her cheeks. I smile and pull her into a hug. 

-Merle- 

"Dilandau, do you see those two? Look how cute they are!" Merle gushed. 

"Do you remember when we first realized our feelings for each other?" Dilandau pulled me close to his chest as I stared into his eyes lovingly. 

"How could I ever forget?" I hold him tight and he kisses my forehead. 

"Do you think they will be ready?" I loosen my hold on Dilandau with a sigh. 

"We can only hope." Dilandau seems to silently pray. 

-Millerna- 

"It arrived! The note arrived!" I walked over to Gaddess and showed it to him. 

"Ah, so the boss really is crazy." A smile forms on both our lips as we see my father approaching. 

"Daddy! We've got the note!" I quickly pass it to him and then notice my mother also entered the room. 

"Yes, yes. Now we can publicly humiliate him. Just need to think of something..." My father starts, but my mother interrupts him. 

"Leave that to his crew, they know him best. No one hurts my children and gets away with it! He will pay dearly." My mother places a hand on my shoulder and smiles. "Now dear, could you please arrange a trip to Fanelia for myself and, of course, you." I nod happily and leave the room, Gaddess right behind me. 

"Our poor Hitomi. I didn't want things to happen this way for her." Queen Aston says, turning towards her husband. 

"Don't worry darling, she can handle it. The prophecy has ensured that much." 

-Zaibach- 

"Lord Dornkirk, we have reason to believe there are more Draconians left. Do you think it wise for now to be the time we return as leaders of Zaibach?" An elderly man stares down at the young blue haired man below him. 

"Yes. We must find the dragon. It seems Atlantis' last prophecy has finally come into play." The blue haired man nods and bows before leaving. 

_Ah, yes. The final war will come upon us. Let us see if the two will succeed. If the vile creatures will descend upon us again to be reborn..._

Finished another chapter! Hope it was interesting enough! I think it's even longer than my usual chapters. 

Thanks: 

SabineballZ - Sorry about having no kissing. Hopefully next chapter we'll have some. And I'm glad you like King Aston. I wanted to make him seem like a very caring individual, seeing as he saved a Draconian (which was something heroic, in the sense that there was a war based on killing them going on). 

lfk214 - Good idea! About the Dilandau killing Allen thing, I mean. ^_^ 

Dragonsight - Hitomi will stay on Gaea, but I haven't decided whether or not she will visit Earth yet. Allen bashing will come, of course. There has to be Allen bashing! Sounds like your fanfic will turn out great, I'll have to check it out. 

Avelyn Lauren - Allen will find out sooner or later, but that's when the prophecy will really start to make sense. Millerna and Gaddess are going to be seen together a lot but I'm not sure if they will be a couple. I think for now they are too focused on getting back at Allen. Queen Aston won't be a major character. She's basically there to make sense of some of the loose ends. As for another woman that Allen's been with... I don't want to give too much away to my readers, but I'll write something about that in an e-mail. ^_~ Hope you liked the prophecy! 


	12. A New Arrival

AN: Here's chapter 12. Sorry for taking so long to update. I've recently been focused on my new story, 'Black Tide', a Sailor Moon fanfic. 

Thanks to Avelyn Lauren for taking the time to edit this fic. 

Refresher: 

-Zaibach- 

"Lord Dornkirk, we have reason to believe there are more Draconians left. Do you think it wise for now to be the time we return as leaders of Zaibach?" An elderly man stares down at the young blue haired man below him. 

"Yes. We must find the dragon. It seems Atlantis' last prophecy has finally come into play." The blue haired man nods and bows before leaving. 

_Ah, yes. The final war will come upon us. Let us see if the two will succeed. If the vile creatures will descend upon us again to be reborn..._

**Disclaimer: I own what I own, and, sadly, Escaflowne doesn't fit into that category...**

**Winged Love**

**By: Tramie**

**Chapter 12**

**A New Arrival**

-Hitomi- 

I stare out my window and sigh. I haven't seen much of Van since we told each other how we feel. I wondered whether or not he had changed his mind, or if he was maybe joking. I hate my uncertainty. I'm actually starting to become jealous of Merle and Dilandau. Why must this happen to me? My life was so simple back in Asturia. I just had to leave with that fool Allen. Why must Van do this to me? Maybe I should just go back home...  
  
-King Aston-  
  
"Yet another prophecy is coming into play." I say as I stare into my wife's loving eyes.   
  
"Yes, just like so many years ago." She replies.  
  
*Flashback* 

_"As the Draconian race is killed off by the man who despises them, the children who will save us will be born. Years after the war begins, their families shall be destroyed. The girl will be saved by a King of Asturian blood. Although the girl carries no Asturian blood, she shall grow up as one of it's Princesses. The boy shall take his father's place as King of the country where dragons rest. As he grows older, he shall understand his powers. By the age of 12, he will have witnessed what a boy his age should never have to witness. One thing that might threaten the possibility of a safe future will be his fear; his hatred. Although the war seems to end, it will start again. This time more horrible than the last."_ A strange man who looks as though he is possessed says to the king who stands in front of him. The king is utterly shocked and becomes frightened as the man collapses and disappears. 

*End Flashback* 

-Van- 

___I've been so busy lately that I haven't even had enough time to see Hitomi. Though I don't know that I'm ready to see her. I've been having these strange dreams about her.... I'm too afraid to tell anyone. I'm sure Merle would think that I'm crazy. But maybe Dilandau? _I get up from my seat at the council table.  
  
"Where are you going Lord Van? The meeting hasn't even finished!" One elder said as he also stood up.   
  
"I have business to attend to else where. I do believe you will be fine without me." I walked out the door, shocked faces watching my retreating back. I didn't care. I had to find Dilandau. I turned a corner and bumped into Hitomi. 

*Flash* 

_(Hitomi is seen falling from the sky.) "Van! Help me!"_

*Flash* 

"Van? Hello, are you in there?" She smiled as I shook my head to get out of my daze.  
  
"Sorry about that. I was just looking for you." I lied. I didn't want her to worry. She only laughed and led me to Merle's room. 

-Zaibach- 

A girl stands in front of a window. She wears an evil grin on her face. "Dornkirk, I do believe I should pay a visit to Asturia." The old man stares at her intently.  
  
"You wish to help that fool Allen?" He asks, not looking very interested in the current conversation. 

"He is not a fool." She hisses angrily. " He has helped us many times. Don't forget he killed Draconian's in many countries while pretending to be a faithful knight of Asturia. My love can help us again in the upcoming war." She smiled as she turned back to the window. How she missed Allen... 

"Umi, you should be careful. It has been many years since you have even seen light, never mind that knight. Do you think he will still love you?" The girl named Umi turned to face her Lord. 

"I believe that our love will last for as long as we live and even after. Even more so, I believe it will help us win the war. This time no Draconian will be left alive." Dornkirk couldn't help but smile at the young woman's words. 

"Then you shall leave right away." 

-Allen- 

"Let go of me you filthy, good for nothing..." I yell as I am carried away by my own men and thrown into a carriage. 

"We are doing this by order of the King." Gaddess said. He held a contented smile. I would not let him win so easily, though. Oh no, they wouldn't get away with this! They slammed the carriage door shut and I spent a fifteen minutes in there until we reached the castle. 

"I order Allen Chezar to come forth." The king called. I was dragged up to him. I would have spit in his face were the circumstances different. "You have betrayed my trust and now you shall be punished. You are no longer a knight of this country..." I smile slightly. 

"Is that all? Well, I do believe you're getting soft." One of my men kick me hard in the side. "Your Majesty." I growl angrily. 

"Ah, but that is not all Allen. I do believe what you have done cannot be lightly punished." The king had a strange glint in his eye. 

"You don't know the half of my betrayal." I mumble. The king obviously didn't hear and looked towards the crowd that had just gathered. 

"People of Asturia. A knight which we have trusted has betrayed us in such a disgraceful way, that we come here to punish him. As is our custom, he shall first be..." He was cut off by an explosion. A guymelef flew down from the sky and landed next to me. It was light blue in colour and was obviously a Zaibach 'melef. I knew that guymelef, it belonged to... 

"Umi..." I said as she exited the melef to stand by my side. She smiled lovingly and turned to face the king. What did she think she was doing here? After six years of not hearing from her, did she expect him to still love her? She was sadly mistaken. He loved Hitomi, her power that is, and would kill that demon Draconian to get her back. 

"I come on behalf of Zaibach to protect Allen from your punishment. Seeing as he was born in Zaibach..." Gasps could be heard throughout the crowd, Millerna flinched. "...he cannot be punished under your rules." 

"Umi, I think your making a mistake, you see..." She cut me off before I could explain. 

"Allen is and has been engaged to myself, Princess Umi of Zaibach, for many years." The king looked at her in horror. 

"Your family line was killed in the Draconian War! I was there to witness your burning!" Umi growled at that. She had only just escaped the flames and that was only because of her sister, Kumiko. 

"I only just survived _with the help of my retched sister_." She mumbled the last part. Her sister was the only one in the royal family who was not part of the war. That is why she became Queen of Zaibach after her family was supposedly killed. I stare at Umi with distaste. Her long, silver hair had been cut. It now just reached her chin. Her once beautiful face, scarred. Rather than her usual velvet dresses, she wore a ripped peasants dress. 

"Umi, I can't believe you'd even come out in public looking like that." I laughed as she stared at me shocked. "No need to cry about it, you've just lost your looks." That got her angry... 

"Stop!" Millerna yelled as Umi rushed to attack Allen. She would not have Umi kill Allen before he could be utterly humiliated. When Umi didn't stop, Millerna ran and pushed her out of the way. That's when she decided to have some fun. 

*Slap* 

A red imprint was left on my cheek. "Now why did you do that?" I spat. Millerna turned to Gaddess and nodded. I had no idea what was going on and decided staying in one place was safer than trying to move. That's when I felt it. Some strange substance dripping down from my head to my feet. The stench was almost unbearable. It was manure. They had the guts to pour manure over my head! 

-Van- 

"Van, Dilandau received a letter from his mother. He though you should read it." I stare at the letter curiously. 

"I never knew your mother was alive." Dilandau sighed. 

"Neither did I." 

Done! Hahahaha... I didn't even put the blue haired man in this chapter. Though you probably know who he is. 

Thanks to: 

SabineballZ - There was 'part' of Allen's humiliation. Bet you can't wait for the rest? And yes, it was Folken... Kissing will come later. ^_^ 

Avelyn Lauren - I do have an idea for why Hitomi could go back to Earth, but of course I may not use it. I'll tell you more about it in an e-mail if you wish. The flying scene was hard for me to write at the time. There will be another flying lesson, but as to when that will be, I don't know. King Aston doesn't know about the prophecy that Van knows about, he only knows the one stated at the beginning of this chapter. He trusted Allen and he didn't know about his relationship with Millerna because they kept it secret, so that is why he first agreed to the marriage. I'll tell you more of what I'm planning in my e-mail. 

Duo - Wow! Such complements, lol. Allen bashing will continue, because I hate him sooo much... 

Kesperlis - Sorry I took so long to update! I had a minor case of writer's block... 

Shottsy - I can't kill Allen... yet. Hope you liked his humiliation. 


	13. A Man With No Heart

AN: Here is the new chapter. Sorry for the long wait... 

Thanks to Avelyn Lauren for being the best editor. ^_~ 

Last Time: 

*Slap* 

A red imprint was left on my cheek. "Now why did you do that?" I spat. Millerna turned to Gaddess and nodded. I had no idea what was going on and decided staying in one place was safer than trying to move. That's when I felt it. Some strange substance dripping down from my head to my feet. The stench was almost unbearable. It was manure. They had the guts to pour manure over my head! 

-Van- 

"Van, Dilandau received a letter from his mother. He thought you should read it." I stare at the letter curiously. 

"I never knew your mother was alive." Dilandau sighed. 

"Neither did I." 

**Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne and probably never will...**

**Winged Love**

**By: Tramie**

**Chapter 13**

**A Man With No Heart**

"So, then how do you know this is from your mother?" I asked quietly. Dilandau closed his eyes and turned away. 

"I just know. It... It has to be her." He looked scared and didn't want to believe what the letter said. "She was there all this time... I never knew..." I stared at him with pity, all the while wondering who his mother might be. "Here, just read it." He tossed me the note and I quickly unfolded it. __

__

_Dearest Dilandau,_ __

_Forgive me for not writing sooner, but I couldn't stand the thought of hurting you anymore than I had before. You probably have no memory of me, but I remember you so clearly. It seems like just yesterday I would sit you in my lap and read you bed time stories. I guess I've left you in suspense long enough, so I will reveal my identity. I am your mother, Queen Kumiko of Zaibach. I only hope you will not hate me for keeping this information hidden from you. I knew you would be taken care of with Van Fanel. I kept an eye on you all these years and I'm so proud of who you've become. Although with this letter comes some more pressing issues. It seems your Aunt Umi has decided to, once again, side with the old Zaibach leaders. I am beginning to regret saving her life, but I did it to save you as well. She has escaped my prison and has most likely gone back to Dornkirk, who's hiding place I have yet to find. I write to you in hopes that you will come to Zaibach with your friends, to help prepare for the inevitable war. I must stop here, but please know that I am thinking of you._

_Queen Kumiko of Zaibach_

I looked over the letter again, quite confused. Dilandau stared only at his feet and Hitomi began to read the letter from over my shoulder. 

"Kumiko..." Hitomi whispered the name. It seemed strangely familiar. Then she remembered where she had heard it. 

*Flashback* __

__

_"Have you heard about Princess Kumiko turning up in that strange little village? No one knows how she got there. She seemed pretty beat up." A man was talking to a bunch of other men at a small table in the Castle dining room. _

__

_"Yeah, I bet it was King Dornkirk who beat her. That evil..." His voice was cut off by a distant scream. _

__

_Hitomi turned around and found a woman yelling so loudly she had to cover her ears. _ _She was yelling out, "Save us! Oh please save us! End this war. They killed my Taki, they killed my husband!" King Aston moved to bring Hitomi out of the room, but the last words the woman yelled were the ones Hitomi remembered most. "Oh Kami, let Princess Kumiko save us Draconians. She is our only hope."_

*End Flashback* 

I watched as Hitomi began to shiver slightly. I moved to her side and placed my arm around her. "Are you planning to go?" Dilandau didn't answer. "We will go with you. I know you want to go." 

Dilandau looked up at me with sad eyes. "Thank you." I only smiled in return. Merle hugged Dilandau tightly. I walked out of the room with Hitomi. She looked really sick, so I brought her to her room. 

"Are you alright?" I asked, once we were in her room. She nodded. "Don't lie." She stared at me with sadness. 

"I remembered something from when I was young. A woman screaming about the death of her husband. He was Draconian..." I held Hitomi close, not sure what to say. "There are Draconian's left, aren't there?" King Aston hadn't told Hitomi much about Draconian's after the war. He was probably just trying to protect her. 

"I'm not sure. I heard they had all been killed in the war, but I'm still here, so we can't be sure if there aren't more." I noticed Hitomi relax. I stared into her eyes and sighed. Her green eyes haunted me and I could never seem to get enough of them. "I love you Hitomi." She looked up at me surprised, but she slowly smiled. 

"I love you too." _More than anything else in the world._ She added to herself. I kissed her forehead and left her to herself to think. 

-Dornkirk- 

"We have waited too long to end this war. Folken, you will be the only Draconian left when we are through. With you, we can start a new race; a stronger race. No longer will we have the cursed Draconians. Instead, a new fortune will arise." I laughed at my plan. The perfect species would be created by me. Folken smiled slightly. 

"Your daughter Kumiko will not allow you to regain your position without a fight." I snarled at Folken's words. My daughter was so much like her mother; a fool like her mother. 

"Umi can deal with her." Folken's lip twitched. Umi was heartless, except for when it came to one person. Allen. I never understood what my daughter saw in the man, but for some reason she was fascinated by him. She would forever be devoted to him. She had returned from her trip to Asturia two days ago. Allen came along, only because his embarrassment in Asturia was too great. It was quite the task to save him, but Umi had done it. Allen decided he would play with her; lead her on. 

"You are to watch over my daughter, Folken. I can never be sure with Umi." He was about to complain about my orders, but then thought better of it. I smiled maliciously at the thought of becoming King of Zaibach once more. "Soon, very soon..." 

-Allen- 

As if following this wretched girl back to Zaibach wasn't enough. She has to go and talk all about what has happened to her. All I hear is blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... When will she shut-up and realize I'm not listening? I follow her glumly to a dark dining room, where I come face to face with Folken. I smirk at him and seat myself beside Umi. 

"It's good to see you again, Fanel." Folken didn't even blink in response. Instead, he twirled a fork between his fingers. 

"Look, Schezar, I don't have time for you." I glared at him and then turned to Umi. She seemed oblivious to all things going on around her. She had that look in her eyes, the same look she had when I had asked her... 

*Flashback* __

__

_"Umi, we've been together for awhile now and..." Umi smiled up into Allen's face and held his hands. "...I was hoping that you would do me the honour of being my wife?" Her face was flushed and her eyes danced joyously._ __

__

_"Of course." Allen smiled and hugged her. When they parted she sighed contentedly and with a faraway look, she stared at the moons._

*End Flashback* 

I shook my head of all thoughs and realized the food was already on the table. I helped myself and thought hopefully of meeting one of Umi's servants on my way to my room. Yes, tonight I would have some fun. 

-Hitomi- 

We were almost to Zaibach and I could tell Dilandau was getting nervous. Merle had finally convinced him to eat something and they had left for the dining room. I sighed and looked over the railing of the ship. The landscape looked beautiful. 

"What you thinking about?" Van walked up beside me and looked over the railing as well. I stared at him, looking him over. His eyes were tired and his bangs were shadowing his face. His shoulders were slumped and his knuckles were turning white from grabbing the railing so tightly. 

"I should be asking you that question." He didn't look up and I hugged him from behind. "Why won't you tell me your secrets? Do you not trust me?" He turned around to face me, looking innocent and vulnerable. 

"I completely trust you." I hid my face in his chest and let my tears soak his shirt. 

"Then why don't you tell me?" He ran a hand through my hair. 

"I... I'm afraid of losing you. I lost so many people close to me and bringing you to Zaibach just makes it that much more unsafe." We had stopped by Asturia on our way to Zaibach and King Aston told us about the return of Princess Umi. 

"I'll be fine." I reassured him. His small pout made him look adorable. I kissed him quickly on the lips. "I promise to always stay with you." He finally smiled, and kissed me back. I sighed and pushed away, much to the discontent of Van. "You're tired. You should get some rest." 

Van grinned slyly as he pulled me into his room. "Stay the night with me?" He asked cutely. 

"Van..." His grin faded and became serious. 

"I didn't mean that, Hitomi. I'm willing to wait for you. Just... I don't want to be alone." His vulnerability was appearing again. 

"Of course I'll stay." I smiled and laid next to him on the bed. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I snuggled closer. "I love you." I murmured. 

Van began to stroke my back. "I love you too." We stayed like that, in each others embrace, for the rest of the night. 

"We're here! We're here!" Merle was yelling. I groaned as I lugged my bags out of the ship. Dilandau looked pale as we waited for the Queen to arrive. 

-Kumiko- 

I walk slowly towards the ship, looking at the passengers faces, trying to find out which one was my son. Then I saw him. His silver hair glinted in the sunlight, his red eyes as bright as her own. A cat-girl clung to his arm and was smiling up at him in a comforting way. 

"Hello, welcome to Zaibach. I am Queen Kumiko." I walked over to my son and bowed down before him. "Forgive me, my son, for not calling for you earlier." I could feel tears well up inside of me. Would he hate me? Most likely. If only he knew... 

Dilandau could feel my grief and knew that I cared deeply for him. "Of course, mother." He smiled at my shocked face. I stood up and hugged him. 

"My baby boy. How I've missed you." Dilandau hugged back with equal force. Then he blushed suddenly, remembering the woman at his side. 

"Mom, this is Merle, my... girlfriend." I laughed at my son's growing blush and I greeted the girl with warmth. "And these are my good friends, Van and Hitomi." Hitomi smiled at Dilandau, glad that he thought of her as a friend. 

"Well, please follow me! What kind of a Queen would I be if I made my guests stand out in the hot sun all day!" I led them to the castle and showed them their rooms. Hitomi was the first to notice the large amount of guards following them. She felt nervous under their gaze. Van noticed her uneasiness and looked around for the cause of it. He seemed to not be bothered by the fact that almost twenty men were following them, though discreetly. 

-Folken- 

I sit quietly in the garden, watching Umi from a distance. _Why am I always left with the boring jobs? _Yet, Umi was different than any woman I had ever met before. Her soul had been corrupted by evil, just as mine had been. I stretch my metal arm out and stare at it. _What have I become?_

"You think too much," A soft voice whispered in my ear. It was Umi. "When your spying on someone, you shouldn't make it so obvious." I moved my gaze from my arm to her face. 

I need to think of something to cover up my actions, "I wasn't spying." _Oh, that was just brilliant Folken. She'll really believe you now._ Umi only smiled and left for her chambers. I have to leave this place. Being used in experiments isn't exactly the way one plans to live life. I can only hope for the opportunity to go back to Fanelia. My family must all be killed, though. Mother and father would have been killed in the war, but what about Van? I can only hope no one got to him. I feel a cool metal clutch tightly around my wrist. _Have I no control over my own arm?_ It seems that if Dornkirk created it, it will never fully be under my control. 

"Afraid, Folken? You haven't even tried to escape for quite awhile. At least, that's what Dornkirk has told me." Allen steps out from the shadows, his blond hair swaying behind him. "You're even working for him now. And I thought you told me that I was bad for going against my country. Look at you, going against your own family." He smirked and I could have punched the pretty boy in the face had Umi not arrived. 

"You'll get what you deserve and then some!" 

~Okay, I end there. I know it's not a lot, but I was having a bit of trouble with this chapter. Hope you liked it and don't forget to review!~ 

Thanks to: 

Night of the Raven 

Shottsy - No matter how great it would be to have Allen fall off a building, he won't. Well, at least that's not what I have planned. 

SabineballZ - Hehehe... kissing scene... It depends on how many reviews I get for this chapter. *rubs head* You didn't have to slap me though! Oh, and Allen will be in lots of trouble now that he's in Zaibach. ^_^ 

Avelyn Lauren - Yes, I think we all love any form of Allen bashing... Hitomi and Van's relationship is sort of a big question mark, because they both are still a little unsure about everything. I'm still thinking about Kumiko and Allen having had a relationship, but I'm not so sure yet. I don't want Allen to be the father of Dilandau though, so they probably wouldn't have had a relationship. Although Umi was hurt by Allen's words in the previous chapter, she is still madly in love with him. She will probably cause more problems for Allen by trying to avoid others. Anyways, sorry for taking so long with this chapter. Hope you like it! 


	14. Heavenly Kiss

AN: I'm getting lazy, I know... But I was just having a lot of fun reading my very many favorite fanfics. I just updated Black Tide and thought, Winged Love hasn't been getting enough attention. Also, school has been a real pain and I got my report card recently. I passed the literacy test, (For those of you who don't know what that is and are lucky enough to not have to take it, it's a test all students in Ontario, Canada have to take. Might be in a few other provinces as well, but I'm not sure.) which is a great relief because if I didn't I wouldn't be able to graduate from high-school and my parents wouldn't be too happy about me having to re-take it. Alright, I do believe you don't care about my ramblings, so I will stop right here. Enjoy the chapter! 

Thanks to Avelyn Lauren for being a great editor! 

Recap: 

"Afraid, Folken? You haven't even tried to escape for quite awhile. At least, that's what Dornkirk has told me." Allen steps out from the shadows, his blond hair swaying behind him. "You're even working for him now. And I thought you told me that I was bad for going against my country. Look at you, going against your own family." He smirked and I could have punched the pretty boy in the face had Umi not arrived. 

"You'll get what you deserve and then some!" 

**Disclaimer: All I own is what is written. Escaflowne and all its characters belong to their respectful owners.**

**Winged Love**

**By: Tramie**

**Chapter 14**

**Heavenly Kiss**

"Van!" I blushed furiously at the words he whispered into my ear. For goodness sake, those were not the kind of things to be said at the dinner table. My blush spread when I suddenly became the object of attention at the table. 

"Hitomi, is something wrong?" Merle asked. I shook my head no and continued eating, every once in a while giving Van a death glare. 

"I'm sorry Hitomi, but I just couldn't resist." A small smile played on his lips as he spoke. If the situation were different, I would have been strangling him by now. Slowly, he tangled his hand with my own and began to eat with his left hand. I watched as his lips parted to blow on the hot soup which he had carefully brought to his mouth. He looked quite content and I could only smile as he gripped my hand tighter. 

We had grown close. So much so that Dilandau's mother decided to give us a room to share. A decision made when she noticed I ended up in Van's room every night. I had been completely innocent in my actions, only entering his room for comfort and warmth. We were happy enough to stay in each others arms and do nothing else. 

By now we had become a couple, I guess. We no longer hid our feelings and I liked it better that way. We hadn't been really hiding them before. The two of us seemed to do everything together now. Often we would take walks after dinner just to be alone. I was getting anxious, though. He hadn't kissed me yet and I was getting ready to make the first move if he would not. 

"You'd better stop daydreaming and finish off your dinner." I turned to look at Van's very amused face. I blushed, a stupid reaction, but it couldn't be helped. There was just something about Van, something Allen never had. "I know, I look great but you still have to eat." I blushed again and moved my gaze away from him. 

I quickly finished my dinner and excused myself from the table, Van doing the same. "Aren't you going to stay for dessert?" I asked him, when I noticed he had followed me. 

"Not without you." He was grinning again and I was lucky enough that the dark of the garden hid my blush. My thoughts of teasing him were lost when a vision came upon me. _Not now, why now?_ I shook slightly and my world grew black. A swirl of emotions erupted inside of me, pulling me in all directions. The familiar feeling of being sick to the stomach and the pounding of my forehead. Then the burning sensation in my legs, moving ever so slowly into the rest of my body. 

*Flash* 

_Two faceless people are seen running. One of them falls and the other one stops to help them._

_"Run!"_

_A large grey guymelef appears, noticeably from Zaibach. It moves closer to the pair on the ground. It's stopped by another guymelef. One is a white dragon known as the legendary Escaflowne. A girl is sitting on the shoulder with her mouth moving but no words are heard. The guymelefs stop and the owner of each step out. _

_"Brother..."_

*Flash* 

_A man with black wings holds on to the hand of the girl who was seen on Escaflowne's shoulder._

_"You can save him, and only you." The man has a metal arm and with it he gently moves a strand of hair from the girl's face. Her cheeks are tear stained and her eyes are sad. Black feathers surround the girl as her pained scream erupts._

My eyes flutter open and I feel cold. I can still see the black feathers and the scream echoes in my ears. I shiver and then I realize Van is shaking me, screaming my name. I can also see Merle and Dilandau behind him. 

"Van..." I moan as I try and sit up, grabbing my head as the pain resurfaces. I look at his face and notice tears. I move my hand to wipe them away but his hand stops me. 

"You scared me. You just fainted and stopped breathing! Then you screamed and I thought I had lost you." I noticed I was no longer shaking, rather he was. I looked to Merle who could be seen crying as well. Dilandau looked a bit shaken but I could tell he was attempting to stay strong for Merle. 

"I'm... I'm alright. I just had a vision, is all. Really, I'm fine." I stood up with the help of Van. He helped me back to our room and I laid down on the bed. 

"I was so afraid." His voice was soft and I felt my heart break. He shouldn't have had to witness that. It was a part of me I couldn't get rid of. That was my curse. The curse to know the future. 

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to. I can't stop it." I looked guiltily down at the floor. 

"It's not your fault. I was just afraid to lose you." He sighed and sat next to me. "You looked dead." Millerna had also said that when she first witnessed it. I couldn't explain any more then than I could now. 

"Well I'm still here." I smiled, hoping to lighten the mood. 

"What did you see?" He wasn't looking at me. I think he was afraid I wouldn't want him to know. 

"I'm not entirely sure. I think... I saw a Zaibach guymelef and another one. It was like Escaflowne, you know, the one you see in books? There was also this man with black wings." I stared at my hands while I tried to make sense of the rest but couldn't. Van took a few minutes to register everything I had said. 

"Does this happen often?" I wanted to say no, reassure him that he would never have to see me like that again but I'd be lying. I just couldn't shake off the feeling that telling him the truth might make me lose him. 

"I guess you could say that. I can go without having one for months. Sometimes they are close together. It's only when something big is going to happen. Like with the end of the Great War. I saw parts of that." I didn't dare to look him in the face. An uncomfortable silence swept over the room and I was beginning to wish I was anywhere but here. He took small steps forward and at first I thought he might be leaving the room. He stopped right in front of me though. His eyes were sad and he looked tired. I pushed away the ebony locks that had gotten into his line of vision. Then he hugged me. I knew then he would never leave me. 

We slowly ended the hug, but stayed close. Our noses were touching and we both held smiles on our faces. I felt strange and could feel my wings make their way out of my back. Van's wings did the same. We thought nothing of it as we leaned in as close as we could until our lips touched. All my worry was thrown away as complete and utter bliss made its way into my soul. I needed him now more than ever. We savored each others taste until we became one. I could feel our hearts beating simultaneously. I knew all his hopes and dreams just as well as he knew my own. 

Pure white feathers floated around us as we deepened the kiss, sharing with each other every bit of ourselves. Only when I could feel the moon's gaze upon us did we break away. We stood by the window and sighed. Our fate had been chosen and we both knew what we had to do. We had to save Gaea. 

-Folken- 

That stupid Allen Schezar! If Dornkirk would just die already, I would be able to kill him. But no, Dornkirk wished to keep Umi happy. I don't understand it. How could someone as bright as Umi like a fool such as Allen? It's seemed impossible but here she was proving him wrong. 

Why did he have to watch her though? It's not as though Umi hadn't noticed. She knew full well what was going on, but didn't seem to mind. She knew me well and could easily read my thoughts. A sad fact, but she had been the one to watch over me when I first came here. 

"Folken, don't look so glum. You're about to become one of the finest species in the world! What is there that you could be sad about?" I could have kicked Allen hard had Umi not been right beside him. 

"Allen, sweetheart, don't bother Folken! You need to get me some water. Hurry up." I inwardly laughed at how Umi treated Allen. It made me wonder if she really did still love him or if she only wanted him as a servant. 

"How are you this morning, Princess?" I asked quietly. As much as I was scared of her; I knew a lot about her. She was a kind young woman trapped inside the body of a corrupted man's daughter. You could sometimes see her smelling flowers and dancing when there was no music. Those sights were hard to come by, though. She would kill peasants who did not follow her father, torture them even. There was always guilt and regret hidden in her features. No one could see it. Only I could. 

I hated it. She could easily kill me because she knew I could see it. I was a pawn in the game that was her life. There were times I would reassure myself by saying we were friends in childhood and that she truly is good. There was always that chance that she would one day snap. One in her condition probably would have snapped long before. She was strong but not nearly as strong as her sister. 

Umi loved her sister and they were very close. That is, until she began to go against her father's orders. She was in love with a Draconian; I think that it is needless to say Dornkirk hated Draconians. That wouldn't stop her and so she married that Draconian. His name was Taishi. They were both very young which made Umi so young she couldn't understand what was going on. Her sister visited as often as she could but her father hated her and Taishi. It was then he decided war against the Draconians was his only option. He would spill their blood and in turn use it to create a new species, one that would serve Zaibach. 

Sometime during the war Kumiko and Taishi had a son. Dornkirk sent his men to kill both Taishi and his son once he had found out. It wasn't until after the war that he realized only Taishi had been killed and his son was placed into hiding. Taishi was a well respected man with blond hair and striking blue eyes. He was always smiling and was the perfect match for Kumiko. 

Kumiko was a wreak after her husband's death but she worked hard to fight her father. She went to different countries and asked for their help. As the death of Draconians came closer to those countries, they agreed to go to war. No matter the past of the Draconians, they were friends to all on Gaea by now. They had helped protect this world and their bloodshed was enough to anger even the calmest of men. 

The war ended with so few Draconians many believed they no longer existed. They were hiding, for they knew Dornkirk was still out there. Even with Kumiko now Queen of Zaibach, they knew they were not safe. 

Kumiko saved Umi in hopes that she would live with her and to save her from the evil their father had placed into their world. Umi was more than happy to stay with her sister, but Dornkirk had survived and had taken her away. I was with her all this time. Kumiko had tried to help me escape once, but failed. She knew I was lucky anyways. I would be the only Draconian spared, had the war done what it was supposed to do. 

"Folken, were you even listening to a word I said?" I looked up at Umi. Did she like Allen because he reminded her of Taishi? It seemed possible but it was strange how I had never thought of that before. 

"Sorry, I guess I must have drifted off." I gave an uneasy smile and walked off. I couldn't be around her. Not now. 

-Van- 

I watch as Hitomi plays in the lake, laughing and staring at the moon. I smile at the scene watching from my spot under a tree. 

"Come on in, Van! It's not that cold." She stuck out her tongue, making her look extremely childish. I sighed and got up. I slowly entered the water, Hitomi circling me. Her wings were spread out as she dived into the water, splashing me in the process. 

"You said it wasn't cold!" The water was freezing and I decided not to move. 

"I said it wasn't _that_ cold, meaning it's cold but not too cold." She smiled and dunked my head under the water. When I resurfaced she jumped on me, wrapping her legs around my waist. "It is getting a bit colder now though. I need you to warm me up." I laughed gently and kissed her lightly on the lips. 

"The moon looks lovely tonight, doesn't it?" I couldn't stop looking at Hitomi. Her green eyes were sparkling and I suddenly wondered what she was thinking. But I already knew. She was thinking about flying. 

"Yes it is. Now, if you want to go flying why don't you just say so?" She stared at me strangely and then pouted. 

"Don't you go reading my mind without my permission, Fanel." I faked shock and dropped her into the water. All that could be heard before she touched the water was a loud yelp. When she resurfaced I was laughing so hard I didn't notice her tugging me back to shore. 

"Can we?" She looked at me hopefully and it took me a minute to understand what she was asking. I picked her up as a response and flew up over the trees. I released her soon after and she began to fly by my side. 

"I have taught you well." I winked at her and she gave me an exasperated sigh. 

"I was able to fly a long time ago. You only helped me remember." I stopped suddenly and waited for Hitomi to notice. She stopped at the same time. Just as I had suspected. 

"Stop testing me. I can hear your thoughts, we know that already." I took her hands and looked into her eyes. She looked back into mine. She was shaking, undoubtedly because of the cold. I used my hidden powers to warm her. She grinned at the welcome warmth that inhabited her body. 

"Thank you." I kissed her nose and flew off. It's been a long time since I've flown so freely. 

~ That's the end of this chapter! Not quite how I wanted it to turn out, but that's okay. Hope you liked it and please review!~ 

Thankies: 

Night of the Raven: I'm glad you enjoy Allen bashing, because he deserves every bit of it! ... 

Shottsy: Aww, I'm sorry for ruining your dreams. Don't worry, maybe someone in the story will fall off a building. *Starts list on possible characters to fall off building* 

SabineballZ: There wasn't much of Allen this chapter (which I can't say I'm not happy for), but you are basically right. Sneaky Allen... As this chapter has already revealed, yes there are Draconians left. ^_^ As for Folken... I have lots planned for him... 

spirit element: There you go, Van and Hitomi close. (Couldn't say no to puppy eyes...) Hope you liked. ^_~ 

anime-luva00: I'm glad you love it. Hope you like this chapter just as much. 


	15. Zaibach's Weapon

AN: So I took a really long time... I have an excellent reason though! My sister deleted my word program Lotus (which has spell check and all the other marvelous stuff I need) and I am left with WordPad. Now, WordPad doesn't have a saving file that is able to be uploaded to I was waiting patiently for my sister to get another word program, Word Perfect, but since she hasn't done so I must ask my friend Shottsy to upload chapters for me. Oh, also... I had already written half of this chapter out, but my sister decided to delete that too AND I had exams and a whole bunch of projects/essays for school to finish this past month. (Thank heavens it's summer). Please don't hate me too much, and enjoy!

P.S. - I can no longer do my smilies, or use asterics!(sp?) 'pouts' Also, all my italics come undone when I upload. I am quite saddened... Just had to get that out...

Thanks to Avelyn Lauren for all she's done for me and this ficcie!

Refresher:

"I have taught you well." I winked at her and she gave me an exasperated sigh.

"I was able to fly a long time ago. You only helped me remember." I stopped suddenly and waited for Hitomi to notice. She stopped at the same time. Just as I had suspected.

"Stop testing me. I can hear your thoughts, we know that already." I took her hands and looked into her eyes. She looked back into mine. She was shaking, undoubtedly because of the cold. I used my hidden powers to warm her. She grinned at the welcome warmth that inhabited her body.

"Thank you." I kissed her nose and flew off. It's been a long time since I've flown so freely.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my fake Van plushie. That's right, I don't even own that. 'sighs'

Winged Love

****

By: Tramie

****

Chapter 15

****

Zaibach's Weapon

Asturia's leaders and respected advisors were engaged in a heated conversation in yet another of the many meetings that had taken place this moon (month). Princess Millerna sat next to her father, in place of Queen Aston. Her mother had fallen ill recently and Millerna was to take on all her duties. To her left sat Dryden Fassa.

"More of Zaibach's funds have been spent on grave yard excavation. Recently, over two thousand dragon energists have been shipped to the area. The Queen Kumiko continues to search for the traitor among her advisors, but is unsure how Dornkirk and Umi have been able to reach anyone in the palace." Dryden spoke as he shuffled through his papers. "Even more disturbing are the reports that Zaibach's best scientists and technologists have gone missing." Murmurs erupted along the large table and Millerna turned away, attempting to make her head feel slightly better.

"Are you alright?" Dryden whispered as Millerna lifted her head to see everyone exiting the room. She blushed. "No need to be embarrassed. I zoned out for awhile myself." He chuckled and the Princess smiled at his kindness.

"I'm worried." Millerna finally spoke. She stood up and opened the curtains to let in some sunlight. "My sister..."

"I'm sure Lady Hitomi is perfectly fine in Zaibach. She has the King of Fanelia watching her." Dryden stood beside her, following her eyes to the shore line. "You weren't thinking of..."

"Actually I was." She sighed and turned to look him in the eyes. "My father will never agree to let me go there, though. Would you possibly help me? Please?" He scratched his head and looked away from her.

"Anything for you."

-Umi-

'Flashback'

"Kumiko, do you think mommy can see us?" A seven year old Umi sat on the grass, starring at the sky.

"Yes I do. She is always watching us, making sure we are alright." Kumiko smiled down at her sister, her eyes sparkling.

"How come you and daddy keep fighting? Why does he always stay out late? Does he not love us anymore?" Umi's eyes began to tear up and Kumiko held her close.

"Dornkirk is a very complicated person. He's changed since mother left us." Kumiko shook from concealed tears. He wasn't their father. Their father would never hurt them...

"You always call him Dornkirk now. Daddy doesn't like it." Umi looked up at her sister's face and yawned.

"I can't call some one who's not my father daddy... He just can't be our father." Kumiko took Umi in her arms and returned to the house. "One day me and you will live happily without Dornkirk's madness. One day, we will live peacefully."

"With Taishi too?" Umi asked hopefully.

"With Taishi too." Kumiko answered with a smile.

'End Flashback'

Where was this so called happy ending? Dornkirk won't die. He won't let me live with Kumiko. He made sure Taishi would never live with us either. Poor Kumiko, I can only dream of what she's going through. They were so in love.

"Umi, sweetheart." Allen's voice drifts into the room, making me feel as though I'm drowning in cold waters.

"Allen, I thought I had explained all this to you already. You come when I call, not before." I give a small smile and walk off. I don't want to have to deal with this idiot. He may look like my sister's lover, but he is no where close to being like him personality wise.

He stalks off with a smirk on his face. I hate that smirk.

"Umi, my daughter. Where are you? I have something important to discuss with you!" Dornkirk's cheery voice makes me sick.

"Father, I'll meet with you later. I have an appointment with a new source now." I run quickly, knowing Folken is probably right behind me, staring. Why did he have to be our experiment? He lost his family too.

I run, but I don't know where I am headed. I know I don't want to be here anymore. My time is up, I've already lost everything. _Smile. It makes you look pretty._ Kumiko's voice... Tears are beginning to form in the corners of my eyes. I've lost Folken by now, he can't leave the boundaries. _Don't worry, we'll find each other again._ Who's voice was that? It's unfamiliar to me, but now isn't the time to think about it.

I've reached a cliff. I could easily end my torment now. I want to. I run full force and jump, jump off the edge into the jagged rocks below.

-Van-

"Hitomi, you can't stay in there forever!" I let out a frustrated sigh as I bang on our bedroom door for the hundredth time this evening. "I'm sorry I was being insensitive and all that. I'm sorry! I just don't think going back to the Mystic Moon is the best idea." The door opened.

"There were people I knew there. The people who were part of my family. I can feel it Van. I can tell they are looking for me." Her eyes were all red and puffy. I felt like the biggest idiot in the world.

"I know. I'm just... I mean... I don't want to lose you. We can go, together, once things settle down." We sit down in front of the door. I hold her close and kiss her hair. "You know I'd do anything for you." She smiles. _At least I didn't make her hate me._

"I know." _Crazy person._ She giggles and stands up.

"Hey, you know I heard that. Come here!" I chase her around the upstairs, trying to tickle her. Squeals and laughter are heard all throughout the castle. Even in the underground...

-Umi-

I can feel the air burning my cheeks and stinging my eyes. Never had I felt more alive. _Why end it?_ I feel the burning stop, my eyes stop stinging. There's something different. I'm not falling. I've stopped. I feel the arms held around me and I look up.

Taishi?

-Folken-

I can hear the laughter coming from the castle. They are lucky. They do not have to go through the torment of test after test. I am no longer free like them. I am who Dornkirk wants me to be. A Draconian like no other. I can be controlled and as a symbol of my lost freedom I have been given black wings. There is a darkness that burns me whenever they are sprouted. I am to be used to kill all species of Gaeans that are not deemed worthy by the foul ruler Dornkirk. His daughter has no idea what is coming, and I fear I will be the one to end her life here. Umi will hate me, which is an unbearable thought. She is all I have now. I've lost my family.

The sound of beating wings makes its way to my ears. Another Draconian? Dornkirk would certainly not allow another in his hiding place now. It's too risky. Yet I can already see the pure white before the creature arrives in my room. Why is it headed here? To save me? I doubt that. The wind whips my face as a male enters through my window, a female in his arms.

"Umi...? What have you done?" I notice the man looks strangely like Schezar, although more pleasant.

"I've done nothing, brother. I saved her from a destiny not fit for a Princess. She would have died today, if not for myself." The man spoke kindly, and laid Umi on my bed gently.

"Why do you call me brother? I do not know of you." I moved closer, no longer afraid of this man. He was safe and could be trusted.

"I am what you are. We both have the same blood running through our veins. Draconian blood ties us all together." He smiled gently and I remembered him. I had seen his smile before...

'Flashback'

"Welcome to Fanelia, brother!" Queen Varie of Fanelia spoke joyously as she grabbed her brothers' hands. King Gaou also greeted him with enthusiasm.

"I have brought a friend of mine with me. His son would like to train in your court." Shoyo, Varie's brother, said happily. "He's a fine young man. I believe you will be happy with his skills." He led the young boy up to the front.

"I am honoured to be in your presence, Your Majesty." He bowed down before the King and then walked over to the Queen. He took her hand and slowly raised it to his lips, bestowing a kiss upon it. "I have heard much about you, Queen Varie." He turned to look at two young boys standing behind the King and Queen.

"Are these your children?" He asked politely. They nodded and he bent down to their level. He ruffled their hair and asked, "What are your names?" He smiled pleasantly and the children smiled back.

"I'm Folken and this is my little brother Van. I'm eight and he's four!" The small Folken said proudly and shook hands with the older visitor. Van simply smiled and hid deeper in the folds of his mother's gown.

"I am Taishi. It's very nice to meet you both." He smiled again and then as an afterthought added, "I'm sixteen." The boys grinned, excited to have become friends with someone so much older than themselves. Van opened his mouth wide in awe when he saw a sword attached to the hilt of Taishi's belt.

"Daddy, how come I can't have a sword?!"

'End Flashback'

A small smile crept it's way to my face at the thought of my younger brother. _I wonder how he's doing..._ A cough brought me back to the matters at hand, and a small blush graced my features.

"Taishi, how have you been? We believed you to be dead." I asked, somewhat unsure whether or not it was him.

"Shh, we must find a place more suitable to talk. We do not want to be caught."

-Dornkirk-

Fate is changing quickly. "0-567, what is the status of the Black Dragon?" I shout to one of my men.

"His body rejected the formula this morning. We are working to fix the errors. Also, his memories seem to be getting closer to the surface. In order to stabilize him and keep the Dragon from realizing his true powers, we must inject the formula as well as the chemical zimitrious." He answered, his head down.

"What need is there of zimitrious? Hasn't he already been given a dose?" I ask calmly.

"Another larger dose is needed to keep his past from resurfacing." The same man replied. I smile and motion for him to continue his work. _Zaibach's weapon is almost ready. Soon all of Gaea will belong to me._

-Hitomi-

I stare up at the two moons hanging in the pitch black sky as Van trails kisses down my neck. I smile at the sight of a shooting star. _I wish for Gaea to find peace._ Van stops his actions and looks up.

"Me too." He agreed. I giggle at the serious look on his face. I sketched his image into my mind, paying close attention to his lips. They were just too irresistible. Another grin planted itself on my face. I gently trailed my finger along his arm and leaned up close to him.

"Van?"

"Hm?" He looked down and held me closer to him. He leaned down and kissed me passionately. "I'm irresistible now, huh? Oh, and don't even try teasing me like that." He smiled and kissed me again.

"Sometimes being able to read each others thoughts ruins things. I can't believe you knew my plan... I should have tried to block my thoughts..." A blush rose to my cheeks, remembering his mention of me thinking he was irresistible. _Hitomi, why do you do this to yourself?_

"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity." Van chuckled. I slapped his arm and walked off towards the gardens.

"First of all, I wasn't talking to myself, I was thinking to myself." I turned to face him. "Second of all, last time I checked _you_ were the insane one." I stuck out my tongue and ran as fast as I could. Van attempted to catch up, mumbling incoherently as he ran, but was unable to match my speed.

I was thankful when I finally reached the gardens. I sat next to a fountain and splashed my face with water. I looked in at my reflection and noticed something odd. My pendant, the one I had received from my mother all those years ago, was glowing. The dull pink erupted into a blinding light once Van arrived at my side, panting.

"What...is...going...on?" Van asked between pants. Before I could answer his question, we were both lifted up in a beam of light and our surroundings vanished...

- Okies, ending there. I haven't been writing much about Merle and Dillandau, agh! If you read the beginning author's notes, you'll understand why it took so long to get this posted. Also, I've taken on even more work because I've made a new website with a friend and I am working as a staff member at another site. I will continue writing, so no worries there. Updates may take alot longer, due to the fact I cannot save the files on my computer and all my extra work, but I'll try to write chapters quicker. I am known to be lazy, but the more reviews I get, the more inspired I am to write. I guess what I am trying to say is- please review! -

Thank You's:

xxkTxx : o.O You think this story is great? 'wipes tear from eye' I feel special... I have no clue how long it will be. I'm hoping to maybe end it with 20 chapters, but it might be more or less. Haven't got the whole thing planned out. Anyways, no matter what, it will end with an even number of chapters... (I have an obsession with even numbers...)

Night of the Raven : I'm really sorry for the non-updating. My muse left me 'runs after Shottsy with a hose' and all that other crap was going on. --;

Crystalstorm21 : Once again, sorry for the non-updating...

Kya77 : Glad you like the story line. I have the tendancy to write in first person, even when I don't mean to. This way I don't confuse you all by changing to first person in the middle of something.

Avelyn Lauren : Thanks for being so patient with me. As you can tell by my reply to xxkTxx, I am expecting it to be somewhat long, I don't even think it will stop with 20 chapters. I'm also thinking of doing a sequel, if I can find a way to make it worth doing. Glad you liked the romance in the last chapter, and Millerna was put in this chapter for abit. I needed to think of something to be done with her, and I'm still kind of working on that... Can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter.

SabineballZ : Folken plays a BIG part in future chapters. I mean he is 'crazy looking person comes in and covers Tramie's mouth' . . . 'cough' 'whispering' . . . Yes, he has a large role... Can't give anything away now, can I? Allen will be delt with. Now that Umi is noticing he is not what she wants him to be, you can be sure he will find his demise. Folken will find happiness, one way or another. Although he will be going through some tough times. I got excited as well when I wrote the VxH kiss. I was waiting for a good moment to write it. Sorries for the long update!

Shottsy : 'runs after you with a hose' You have to write BT with me! 'cries' I'm getting really lazy and you leaving me isn't helping! lol. I will kill Allen soon. 'grins evilly' . . . 'reads over your mumblings about fire and gets an idea...' Hmm... fire. I can't stay too mad at you now, you gave me idea. 'laughs maniacly and looks for some matches' I'll talk to you on msn, so no point in writing more.


	16. A Horrible Fate

AN: Ahhh! Long time to update, I know. School started, had lots of work... had writer's block... Then I was writing BT with Shottsy (our sailor moon fanfic), so when I started this I had a load of ideas and I wrote a good four pages. Then, I was stuck again. Then I wrote a chapter of Reflections of a Tortured Heart (ccs fic), uploaded it and got no reviews (tear). I was kinda discouraged, and so I took a little longer to finish this chapter. Then I ended with about five pages. So this chapter is short, yes. I'm really sorry about that too. My birthday just passed (Dec.6th, woot!), so I was busy then aswell. Even more school work piling up... Anyways, enjoy the chappie.

Thanks to Avelyn Lauren for being so patient with me and being the best editor I could ask for.

I'm sure you need a little refresher:

I was thankful when I finally reached the gardens. I sat next to a fountain and splashed my face with water. I looked in at my reflection and noticed something odd. My pendant, the one I had received from my mother all those years ago, was glowing. The dull pink erupted into a blinding light once Van arrived at my side, panting.

"What...is...going...on?" Van asked between pants. Before I could answer his question, we were both lifted up in a beam of light and our surroundings vanished...

**Disclaimer: (is playing with remote control guymelefs) I own Escaflowne, bwahahahaha! (the 'Escaflowne' guymelef starts to move on it's own away from Tramie) Nooooo! I own you! Come back! (cries)**

**Winged Love**

**By: Tramie**

**Chapter 16**

**A Horrible Fate**

Merle pulled at her hair frantically, getting more jumpy by the minute. I attempted to calm her down, but even I can't seem to believe what has happened.

"Dilly, how could they just disappear like that?! What if something horrible has happened..." I shook her gently and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I'm sure they are fine. Van can, and will, take care of Hitomi." I sighed as I dropped into the closest chair. "I just spoke to my mother, and she thinks there is nothing to worry about."

"But with Dorn-" I quickly cut her off.

"Don't speak his name," I hissed. Merle looked taken aback, and I quickly shot her an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry." My voice was barely a whisper, but she heard. She always did. _Must be the cat in her._ I let out a small smile.

"No, I'm sorry. It's just that Van is my brother, and Hitomi is the closest thing I'll ever have to a sister." I pulled her into a hug and smoothed her hair.

"I know. I feel the same way."

-Folken-

"Taishi, it's been a long time." I couldn't help but smile at the familiar face of someone from my past. "Before Zaibach," I whispered to myself.

With a slight shake of the head, Taishi spoke. "A long time indeed. It's been a long time since I've seen anyone." A sad look marred his face. "Dornkirk is working hard to control you, Folken. Don't let him win."

I nodded in understanding, but couldn't help but ask the question that was bugging me since I arrived here. "When will this end?" Taishi patted my shoulder in a reasurring way.

"Very soon, I would hope. I would love to see my Kumiko again..." My eyes widened, remembering how much this man had lost as well. We both froze as we heard the door quietly open.

"Folken, Dornkirk is slowly approaching." Umi had no intention of ever calling Dornkirk her father again. The thought was too painful. Turning to Taishi, she almost cried. "You'd better go." He nodded.

"I will see you soon." With that, he flew through the open window without looking back.

"Let's move further below ground. Dornkirk will become suspicious if he finds us above ground again." Umi nodded and I led her to my study. Minutes later, Dornkirk arrived.

"Folken! It's time for you to meet with your doctors." Dornkirk smiled, and I tried to hide the hate in my eyes. Why did he insist on saying that I was to meet with 'doctors' when I knew full well they were sorcerers?

He led me down to the room all his experiments took place in. I watched as many men ran around, connecting wires, cleaning workspaces, filling test tubes with a sickly yellow liquid...

"Now, if you could please remove your shirt and lie down on the bed." The sorcerer smiled at me, obviously nervous about having to do whatever it was Dornkirk planned for him to do. I did as I was told and laid on the cold surface that was definately _not_ a bed.

"0-226, please prepare the regular medication. 0-567, get the zimitrious ready." Dornkirk shouted his demands happily, a glint in his eye. I would have vomited if it weren't for my current position.

"Now, this will only hurt a bit."

-Van-

"OW!" Hitomi rubbed her head after the small rock bounced off the side of it, which had awakened her from sleep. I grinned innocently as I stared at her. Then, as I watched her take in our surroundings, my grin faded.

"Is this the... Mystic Moon?" She looked so small and childlike at the moment, I couldn't help but give in to the urge to hug her. "It is, isn't it?"

I nodded. It wasn't what either of us expected. The place was black and barren, nothing like the beauty Hitomi had told me about just days prior.

We both opened our eyes wide in shock as a woman approached us, who looked almost identical to Hitomi. "Welcome back, granddaughter." Tears formed in the elderly woman's eyes and she quickly herded us towards a make-shift home. I did not dare deny her claim, because it was utterly obvious she spoke the truth.

"What happened?" I asked what I heard Hitomi question in her mind over and over. She gave me a thankful smile for relieving her from speaking.

"The Zaibach forces came and killed as many Draconians as they could. Not many were left, and as they spoke of their rulers fall, they decided to try and end our existance quickly. This area was destroyed, but there are still some places that are as they were before Zaibach came." The woman gave us glasses of water, and we greatfully accepted. "I've been waiting in this barren place for days, expecting your arrival. We can move to a nicer area tomorrow." She smiled and Hitomi hugged her suddenly. I watched as the two got re-aquainted, hoping that this would be the start to a better life.

-Millerna-

"WHAT?!?!?! You can not mean that my sister is gone. She has to be here somewhere!" I knew I was being terribly rude to Queen Kumiko, but I was just not willing to accept my sister's disappearence. Dryden squeezed my shoulder, attempting to calm me, no doubt. I closed my eyes, trying to gather my thoughts.

"She will be fine. Someone has been waiting for her." I stared confused at the Queen, but she would not allow me to speak. "Princess Millerna, there are more important matters at hand, I'm afraid." I was ready to scream that nothing was more important than my sister when I saw the absolute seriousness in Kumiko's eyes. She had always been kind and truthful. I had no reason to doubt her now.

"Dornkirk is somewhere close to this castle, I can feel it. I am going to need your assistance in the war that is sure to come. Dryden," Dryden walked up closer to the throne and bowed, "I wish for you to place any information you receive upon myself." He nodded and stood.

"Let me take you to your rooms." Dilandau led us to where we would be staying during our visit, and smiled as we left for bed. I could only wish that this was all a dream.

-Umi-

I walked dangerously slow down the hallways, eager to reach Allen's room. The day had been too much for me, and Allen was the perfect person to let some steam off on. I opened his door in a rush and my jaw dropped when I saw him in bed with one of the younger maids. It was disgusting to see him with that poor girl who obviously had no clue what was going on. She was either drunk or he had drugged her! I could feel the fear eminating from her and I wished to strangle Allen at that moment. I ran over to the bed, shoved Allen off the girl and dragged her out the room.

"Heeey, whatta ya thinks yous doin', hott stuff?" His slurred speech sickened me further.

"I'm going to make sure this girl gets cleaned up and that you get kicked out of this place!" I watched angrily as Allen moved closer to me.

"But yous wouldn' do such o' thing, hmm? You loooove me." Allen giggled like a little school boy, and not being able to take it, I left. I brought the girl to some other maids and gave a quick explanation.

"Now to get Allen kicked out of here for good..."

I walked down the broken steps to the lab where Folken was currently. Before I entered, I made sure to look horrible and stared into the bright lights to get some tears. I ran towards Dornkirk and pleaded him to get rid of Allen. After he heard my story, he quickly left to 'kick him out' after speaking briefly with a man he referred to as '0-790'.

I sighed and turned around to see Folken laying on a metal table looking as pale as ever. I watched with wide eyes as a yellowish liquid was injected into his body. The spasms that shook through his body made real tears form in the corners of my eyes. I had _never_ thought that _this_ was what Folken had to endure when he went to see the sorcerers. I looked to a monitor close to me as a distraction and read the flashing words.

_Project Black Dragon Completed. Preparing fate-alteration test._

-Taishi-

Dornkirk's plans seemed to be without fault. Except for the fact that his daughter Umi would not be all he hoped she would turn out to be. _By now she would have witnessed the one thing that could completely change her. All else is left up to fate..._ Folding my wings, I submerge myself in the cool lake I had recently found.

I'd been fighting for so long, so very long to be able to return. Of course, the Gods hadn't been exactly pleased with my passing in the first place, but they still needed to make sure I was worthy to return to Gaea. After my death I had to be put through phsyically and mentally straining tests, which by all means did nothing for the growing void in my heart. Countless variables, paradoxes thrown at me mercilessly. I watched different versions of a truth, all disturbing enough to make me wince. Fading memories resurfaced and things I had missed uncovered. It was almost too much knowledge to handle, but it was all worth it just to come back here. To go back home.

Strangely enough, it was when Umi was falling that I had been allowed to return. The girl's strength will prove helpful in the coming battle. Folken, of course, is the key to everything. Then again, so are those who are spoken of in the prophecy. For now, things are out of their hands. If Folken fails while they are on the Mystic Moon, they too will fail when they return. An unexpected aid will come once Folken has done his part, though. _Ahh, Kumiko... My dear, what would you say if you knew the truth about your bloodline?_

There is barely any time left. Two nights and the war will begin without warning. _Curse my knowledge and my inability to speak of it!_ Draconian blood grows thin as the air grows cooler. I hurry out of the water and dry off. A long night ahead, but not as long as the day that will come after it...

-Hitomi-

After having moved to a place with better living conditions, I was able to see what used to be my home. It was rebuilt and turned into a hospital, but it felt the same. I ran my hand across the soft grass and sighed. We were having a picnic, which my grandmother insisted was the perfect way to start off my visit, forgetting the actual start, that is.

"The sky is turning gray..." I heard Van whisper. I frowned slightly. He sat up and ruffled my hair. He pointed to the sky and I noticed that one of the clouds was tinted red. I thought it was my imagination, but Van saw it too.

"It's starting." My voice was so strange, so foreign that I almost jumped when I heard myself speak.

"That it is, my darling." I looked to my grandmother, who had spoken, with wide eyes. "You cannot stay here long, there are things you must attend to. For now, though, I wish to teach you to use this." She placed a finger under my pendant and it started to glow. "You may need it."

I looked to Van and noticed he wasn't paying attention to us, rather he was staring at the sky as patches of black began to block the light. I turned back to my grandmother and noticed she began packing up.

"We don't have much time. Not much at all." I poked Van in the side and we all rushed back to the house. I walked around all the small children, and tried not to pay attention to all the scattered toys.

"Hitomi, your pendant." I looked at Van confused, then felt around my neck for the aforementioned pendant. It was gone. Already hearing my thoughts, Van rushed outside to look for it. I followed him, but with almost the whole sky painted black, I could barely see. _What if we don-_ "We will find it." Came Van's harsh reply, cutting off my train of thought.

"Visualize, Hitomi!" I could barely make out my grandmother's face as she spoke, but I listened to her words and closed my eyes. I could feel Van do the same. At the same moment we saw the pendant swing before our eyes, pointing to the left. Van let me run to grab it, and as soon as I took hold, the black finished covering the sky and nothing could be seen. Using the dull pink glow of the pendant, Van, my grandmother and I walked back to the house.

- That's all for now. It's a bit too short for my tastes, but I thought I owed my readers something before Christmas. This was actually finished awhile ago, but I was still trying to add to it. No such luck... Hopefully it's not too confusing. I'll try to update during Christmas break, but no guarantees. Anyways, a very Merry Christmas to all my readers! Don't forget to leave a review! -

I'm hoping each of the following people recieve huge gift baskets this Christmas (with lots o' chocolate )(drools):

Inda : It's hectic for me (school is evil... EVIL!) ... How's it going for you? --;

FoxyFire : You love it? Awww... So sweet! (gives candy cane).

Macky : You don't know how hard it is for me to write Merle/Dilandau scenes... I'm still planning what I want to do with them. They will show up more often in the next chapters, since I will be needing them more. (let's hope I stick to that....)

Sara1664 : You reviewed for the first chapter, so when you get here... well... It might be late for my reply... but yes, my intentions are to make Allen sound like a 'prick'.

Crystalstorm21 : Thanks for the review, and for being so understanding! (gives ginger bread cookie)

Avelyn Lauren : Umi and Folken will become much closer after this chapter. There is a connection between them that I will talk to you about in e-mails (can't give the other readers too much insight, ne?) Dornkirk is a tricky one, though. Might be hard for them to escape him... I may add something with Kumiko to thicken the plot (laughs evilly). As for the stuff being injected into Folken, next chapter will fully explain it's affects.

meyojojo : Sorry for taking soooooooooooooooo long to update (sigh). Hope this satisfies you some!

Shottsy : Loved your review, as always. Hopefully you like this chappie, cause I don't like it... Oh well. Thanks for always reviewing Hattie-chan!

Skyraven : My writing style is horrible, so shush! lol... Now, you must learn Esca, breath Esca, feeeeel Esca! (wtf did that come from? I do not know...)

mystery-child-001 : Thanks muchness for review! (hands a bag of hershey hugs & kisses) Mwahahaha, chocolate ish gooood......


	17. Fallen Moon

AN: I wrote the first scene during my computers class, a week before exams started. After I typed that up on my home computer, it took awhile to finish the rest. Very sorry for such a late update. I started second semester, and it's even more busy than my first! Anyways, hope you like the chapter and once again, I apologize for my lateness.

Thanks Avelyn for being a great editor.

Last chapter:

"Visualize, Hitomi!" I could barely make out my grandmother's face as she spoke, but I listened to her words and closed my eyes. I could feel Van do the same. At the same moment we saw the pendant swing before our eyes, pointing to the left. Van let me run to grab it, and as soon as I took hold, the black finished covering the sky and nothing could be seen. Using the dull pink glow of the pendant, Van, my grandmother and I walked back to the house.

**Disclaimer: I do own Escaflowne! ...on DVD! That's right, I have the 'Perfect Collection' box set. (evil laughter is heard). Okay, so that doesn't give me _full_ rights to it or anything, but I can still watch Van whenever I want to!**

**Winged Love**

**By: Tramie**

**Chapter 17**

**Fallen Moon **

I had retreated to the kitchens, hoping to find something which would lessen my headache. Umi had become so _confusing_ lately, of which I could only blame her femininity (there is just that certain _something_ about women that make them so darn _confusing_ all the time). She spent less time trying to drag me to the gardens (as she had done countless times in the past) and more time nagging. I was beginning to wonder whether living here was better than having my fate chosen by Asturia's King.

I was aware of slowly approaching footsteps. _Umi_. I smirked at the thought. Maybe today wouldn't be so boring. As the footsteps grew ever closer, my smile grew even more. It faltered as Dornkirk entered through the swinging doors. I had been avoiding him for as long as I had been here. I had left him when he was at his most vulnerable. By the time his empire in Zaibach fell, during the last Great War, I was safely in Asturia.

"Sir Allen," he spoke mockingly. The smile on his face created wrinkles upon wrinkles, showing his age.

"Lord Dornkirk. With what reason have you graced my presence?" My tone was cold and dull. Dorkirk's smile stayed as he circled around me.

"You have been banished," he started, looking eerie under the blinking lights, "and must leave here in one hours time or," with his hands he gestured cutting his throat. I gulped, knowing it was not possible for me to gather my things and exit this underground castle in one hour. There was no way I was leaving one can of 'hairspray' or one stick of 'chapstick' behind! (AN: Remember how random objects from Earth appear on Gaea?) I left the room quickly, which seemed to have angered Dorkirk more, for within twenty minutes I was being chased by his soldiers. My skin glistened with sweat as I ran, attempting to escape these blood hungry fools.

"We've got him," I heard one whisper. It was then I realized the direction in which I had been heading. This was the west exit of the castle, and it lead to a cliff. It was too late to turn back, since I was surrounded. The only way out was down, but I wasn't going without a fight. I unsheathed my sword.

"Well well. Once again we have you surrounded, old friend." A short man with wild red hair stepped forward. His dark blue eyes danced with laughter. "This time I will not allow you to get away."

I slowly backed away to the ledge of the cliff, wondering how he had survived. I was sure I had killed him years ago. Just as I was about to fall, he caught me. I stared into the emotionless eyes and pleaded for him to spare my life.

"There's one thing I want to do before I kill you..." he grabbed me by my hair and held me over the edge. I grabbed the side with my fingers, watching as he slowly cut my hair. I was in no position to resist, my sword long ago fell where I was soon to follow. I was getting tired, unable to hold on any longer. Then he had finished and had thrown my hair to one of his men.

"Will you kill him slowly, commander?" The soldiers snickered.

"No. I have been dreaming of another way. How fortunate that he led me to the perfect spot himself." With that said, he slammed his sword down upon my fingers and it was with pure disbelief that I fell to my death...

Umi-

I grabbed the edge of a table for support, as I felt myself become faint. _Project Black Dragon? What is this all about?_ I had known Dornkirk was planning on using Folken for something, but as I stared back hopelessly at his paling face I could only wonder what exactly it was. A beeping sound started, and I watched in horror as pitch black wings emerged from Folken's back.

"0-553, release the straps. Send over some towels, and watch the readings!" One of the more respected sorcerers shouted out to the many people spread out around the lab. Too afraid to ask him what was going on, I went to Folken's side with the towels myself.

"Lady Umi, what are you still doing here? Please, leave now. This isn't..." One sorcerer started.

"I'm afraid I cannot leave. I'm going to help!" Folken's body was shaking as he sat up. I wiped the sweat from his face and he stared at me in confusion.

His voice sounded coarse, "Umi? I... Van." His face was screwed up as he continued, "That's what the old man wants? Some Van person dead? Fine." I was surprised at the mention of his brother. _Why would he kill him? Doesn't he... remember?_

My eyes widened. _No._ Dornkirk had once explained that he had created a medicine that could hide specific memories. I wouldn't believe that he would use it. Many of the sorcerers, after hearing what Folken said, had dispersed saying that everything had gone according to plan. A small smile formed on my lips.

Hitomi-

"Three days we've been here. I think it's time to return." Van stated calmly as he took a bite from his apple. My grandmother sat down at the table and nodded.

"You both have grown very strong, and I trust you will save us." I smiled kindly at her, placing a few items in a small bag.

Over the past couple of days we had been learning the secrets behind the pendant, and my grandmother told me stories of my parents. Van had continually stayed by my side, and was able to use the pendant as well. Our strengths went much deeper, though.

The rest of the morning was spent saying goodbye's to all the children. I had grown close to them over the days, and many of them had given us gifts to take with us. Now we are back where we started, in the darkest of areas.

I gave one last hug to my grandmother and took hold of Van's hand. "See you soon," were our last words to each other as a pillar of light came from the sky and returned us to Gaea.

Folken-

"Come on Folken, let's get out of here," Umi whispered to me as she grabbed my hand. I felt weak and yet only one thought was on my mind. _Kill Van._ "Whatever Dornkirk made you believe, or wants you to do, don't do it!" She harshly pulled me to my feet, and when all the sorcerers weren't looking, we slipped out of the lab.

I attempted to release myself from Umi's grasp, but her grip was tight, "Not yet, I'm getting us out of here." I let out a relieved sigh, knowing I could trust her.

"I won't let them hurt you again." She had said it so quietly, I almost didn't hear it. I smiled when I saw the concern etched across her face.

"I'm sure he would have released me after I completed that one task," I told her, but she shook her head.

She stopped and I had to catch myself before I fell. "No, if you do that, you'll never forgive yourself. He just wants you to keep hurting." She was crying, I noticed, as she sped up to reach one of the exits. Once outside, she dropped to her knees and closed her eyes.

"Wing Goddess, please grant me the power to change. Allow us Sanctuary." It seemed like Umi was praying, and before I could ask her why exactly she was, a pillar of light surrounded us.

Millerna-

I was pacing my room. I had been pacing for what seemed like hours.

'Flashback'

_"There have been sightings of two pillars of light, slightly towards the countryside of our capital." A messenger retold the message, as was given to him by Dilandau._

_"I want you to see to it that this area be guarded heavily." Kumiko stated, looking very aged in her large chair._

_The messenger bowed down slowly, as he spoke again, "Your Majesty, Prince Dilandau and Lady Merle have already seen to that and have also gone to the area." The Queen sighed, and then spotted me hiding behind some curtains. I blushed at being caught eavesdropping._

_"I'm sure King Van and Lady Hitomi will be returning to us soon."_

'End Flashback'

It was evident that the Queen believed Hitomi had come from the pillar of light, but Lord Dilandau had sent no further information. Dryden had left awhile to go to keep watch near the castle gates.

"Milady, shall I dress you for dinner?" I stopped pacing, realizing that my personal servant had been waiting for quite some time for me to return to reality.

"Ah, yes. Forgive me Minako, I have been quite worried." I gave her a small smile and she nodded her head understandingly.

"Of course, it is to be expected. Your sister has been gone for two nights already, Princess." She set to work dressing me, and then led me to the dining room. I was surprised to see Dilandau there speaking to his mother.

When he spotted me, he smiled, but he looked worried. "Good evening, Princess." He stated with a bow.

"Good evening to you as well. What news do you have of the pillars, if you are so inclined to tell?" I asked hopefully. His sigh did not sit well.

He took a seat and grabbed a loaf of bread before he spoke again. "I am afraid a barrier has enveloped the area, and as of yet we have been unable to enter the area to see what the pillars contained."

_A barrier? But who has such knowledge in this day and age to create such?_ I thought, as I slowly sipped on some wine.

"Merle was distracted during the evaluation of the barrier, but ran off saying she might know who can help us." I started at this new bit of information.

"I shall set out tomorrow to the site, then. If I may request a carriage..." I began, but Queen Kumiko nodded her head and told a servant to have everything prepared for the next morning.

* * *

That's all for this chapter, sorry! I know it's short, but I took so long to update I thought it was better than nothing. Please forgive me! I've been very busy, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyways. Hope you all had a Happy Easter. (Aren't you happy it's Spring?) Please leave a review!

Very special thank you to the reviewers:

Inda : Haha, glad to know someone older than myself likes the story. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. (smile)

Annie : Glad you like the story.

escafanatic22 : Haha, you're too kind. The story's not that great, but I'm glad to know you like it. I think it's still going to take a few chapters to actually finish it, though.

iceboltmage : Thank you, and I hope you like this chapter.

Note from the editor: Sorry I've had this chapter for about a week but have not been able to edit the chapter before now due to school and work. Now that school is coming to a close in the next month and a week I have more work now than when I began the term. Arigato and ja ne!


	18. A Meeting

AN: Umm… I'm back? A lot has happened since the last time I updated. I seriously could not remember what I was trying to write when I came back to this, and so I had to read it over to even start working on this chapter. I'm not sure I will finish this story, but I'll try. So sorry for the long wait!

Last chapter:

He took a seat and grabbed a loaf of bread before he spoke again. "I am afraid a barrier has enveloped the area, and as of yet we have been unable to enter the area to see what the pillars contained."

_A barrier? But who has such knowledge in this day and age to create such?_ I thought, as I slowly sipped on some wine.

"Merle was distracted during the evaluation of the barrier, but ran off saying she might know who can help us." I started at this new bit of information.

"I shall set out tomorrow to the site, then. If I may request a carriage..." I began, but Queen Kumiko nodded her head and told a servant to have everything prepared for the next morning.

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

**Winged Love**

**By: Tramie**

**Chapter 18**

**A Meeting**

We landed in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. I turned to Umi in confusion, wondering how in the world we had been transported. Her facial expression matched mine, scanning the area in bewilderment. I sprouted my wings and flew up to try and get a better idea of where we were. As I flew higher I crashed into an invisible wall.

"Folken? What's wrong?" Umi's shouts came from below. I ignored her for the moment and stared closely at the spot I had been unable to move through.

"We're surrounded," I finally yelled back, "someone's placed a barrier here." I immediately flew back to the ground and grabbed Umi's hand. There was only one person I could think of that would be able to use such old magic. Dornkirk could not have found us so easily, could he? Was he the one who created the pillar of light which had transported us?

In the distance, I saw another pillar appear.

Hitomi

As the light faded, I could already sense something odd. I knew Van felt the same and watched as he closed his eyes. This was familiar to him; he had felt this power before.

I voiced his thoughts, "barrier." Van quickly drew his sword, sure that there was someone waiting for us. Who knew we were returning, and why did they want to keep us here?

"Hitomi, come here-" Van started to run forward, but before he could reach me I was grabbed from behind. My body froze with shock, noticing the blade held closely in front of me.

"Let her go!" Van yelled, unsure whether he should move or not. He did not know how much danger I was in, and was thinking of different ways to help me escape.

The figure holding me did not release his grip. He began to walk forward, pushing me along, until we were directly in front of Van.

"I won't harm her, I just need you to listen," the figure spoke and Van's eyes widened in recognition. His thoughts screamed with disbelief one name, and flew to memories long forgotten.

Dornkirk

"…he's escaped! Folken has escaped! We were supposed to place a new tracking device…" I ignored the scientist as he explained the current situation. My workers were all running about, worried about the current turn of events. I smirked, already knowing where Folken was and that everything was going according to plan. Fate had placed the Black Dragon in the perfect position. _Soon everything I have waited for will unravel! Soon, Gaea will be mine._

I finally decided to stop the worried workers and gave them new orders, "everything is as planned! Begin preparations for war! All weaponry is to be at the ready! Stock the levi ships at once!"

Things were about to get interesting.

Kumiko

Everything was set for travel towards the barrier in the morning, however I felt as though something was wrong. I was missing something and I could not imagine what. Looking to the servant who was patiently awaiting my orders, I sighed.

"You may leave, I need to think," I requested, and the servant quickly left the room with a bow. _Pillars, barrier, and this strange feeling when I think about it… what does it all mean?!_ Frustrated beyond belief, I paced the room trying to remember why this situation seemed so familiar.

Pillars of light. _Well, I remember the legends of them being sent by the Wing Goddess._

Barriers. _An old magic which was used during the times of the Ancient Draconian, which I was beginning to believe was knowledge lost to this world forever._

The strange itching feeling in the back of my skull. _Perhaps I am just worried for Van and Hitomi? Though I'm sure there is more to it than that. I haven't had this feeling since the last time I saw…_

My eyes widened. I knew it was impossible, that this one scene from history could _not_ repeat itself. Could it?

Aboard a Traveling Levi Ship…

"Captain, do you think he's alive?" A short man with scars across his face asked, pointing to the seemingly lifeless body on the floor.

Bending over, the Captain surveyed the crumpled body before checking its pulse. "Seems the blondie was lucky. Alive but definitely injured. I wonder if his back is broken," the Captain said with an evil grin and a kick to the body's side. Hearing a groan, he broke out into laughter.

"Captain Gaddess, you're horrible," a crewmember sighed before saving the now semi-conscious male from more abuse. "I'll move him to one of the beds."

* * *

Okay so… horribly short and probably contains even more horrid writing… I tried to keep the same writing style that I was using before, though I was tempted to change it. This was just to get my memory going, so that's why it's so short... Let me know what you think.

To the reviewers:

A huge apology for the delay, especially since I'm not sure when I will write another chapter.

Inda: Another short one, eek. Hope you'll still like it.

Macky

Avelyn Lauren: It's been awhile, huh? Thanks for being my editor in the past.

Delphiniums Blue: I'm glad you like it! And I guess 3 years doesn't count as soon…

zero-serenity


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